KOTA KINABALU: The Lahad Datu palm oil industrial cluster (POIC) port in Lahad Datu earned its stripes as a facility capable of dealing in hazardous industrial chemicals after handling its first shipment of methanol recently.
Tanker vessel MT Nylex 1, on Wednesday, brought in a shipment of 1,500 metric tonnes of methanol from Bontang, Indonesia for a plant owned by Genting Group that produces biodiesel from palm oil.
“The successful handling of the methanol shipment at our liquid jetty is proof of the reliability of our facilities, including the pipe rack system that allows the methanol to be transferred safely from the vessel to the plant,” POIC Port manager Chee Sai Kee said.
Methanol, a combustible product from natural gas, chemically reacts with palm oil to produce ester, or biodiesel.
Typically, one-part methanol is needed to produce 10 parts of biodiesel.
There are two biodiesel plants here, under the Genting flagship. Combined, they produce about 300,000 metric tonnes of biodiesel per annum.
Some are exported and some are blended with locally consumed diesel.
Spokesman for Genting Biodiesel Sdn Bhd vice president (Processing) Vijayam Manikam said the company previously trucked in its methanol supply from Sandakan.
“Bringing in methanol by ship and pumping it straight to storage is efficient and cost-saving, and we are grateful to POIC Sabah Sdn Bhd for the facilities”, he said.
POIC Port comprises terminals for dry and liquid bulk as well as a container cargo.
The dry bulk terminal went into operation in 2013 and handles mostly mixed fertiliser components.
Its container terminal, which is funded by the Federal government, is awaiting the arrival of the first container vessel early next month.
POIC Port, developed at an estimated cost of RM1 billion, is owned and operated by the Sabah state government through POIC Sabah Sdn Bhd.