KUALA LUMPUR: MISC Bhd has completed its full cargo loading of ethane via its first Very Large Ethane Carrier (VLEC), Seri Everest, the largest in the history of ethane shipping to date.
MISC said the historic loading was completed on January 17 this year.
The cargo was loaded under the supervision of Eaglestar, the shipmanager at the newly-constructed Orbit Ethane Export Terminal in Nederland, the United States.
Seri Everest is the first second-generation VLEC to export ethane out of the new terminal.
President and group chief executive officer Yee Yang Chien said MISC had added another significant chapter at the start of 2021 with Seri Everest's first cargo loading for the largest VLEC of its kind currently operating in the market.
"I believe this is the start to many achievements ahead in serving the market needs for ethane. The steady increase in trading volumes has allowed us to gain the first mover advantage as our vessels offer more cargo capacity to accommodate production growth," he said in a statement yesterday.
Yee said the feat would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of MISC project team and the crew of Seri Everest.
"I am proud of these accomplishments and would like to congratulate the teams at shore and the crew at sea for this success.
Seri Everest is currently on the return of her maiden voyage from the US to Lianyungang ethylene plant located at Jiangsu province, China.
Throughout her maiden voyage and during the operation, MISC and Eaglestar have adopted the new normal of robust safety measures and procedures including limited personnel onboard during operation, social distancing, and minimal close contact.
Seri Everest is the first from a series of six VLECs that MISC bought last July.
All the six VLECs are contracted to Zhejiang Satellite Petrochemical Co Ltd for a long-term charter of 15 years.