First Ship from Antwerp to Açu
As BBC Amethyst anchored in Porto do Açu, Brazil, she becomes the first vessel to make the big crossing from Antwerp to the Brazilian sea port.
"Quite an achievement for Port of Antwerp International and the local partners who invested in the Brazilian port, thereby promoting trade with Antwerp. Brazil, the biggest economy of Latin America and number 7 in the world, is a key trading partner for the Port of Antwerp," said a press release from the Europe’s second-largest seaport.
A Siemens gas turbine, an essential component of the new thermoelectric power plant of GNA - Gás Natural Açu Ltda, which is a joint venture among Prumo (parent holding company Porto do Açu), BP and Siemens, aimed at converting LNG to electricity.
With a 3 gigawatt capacity, the complex will provide around 14 million of households with electricity. The project is part of the largest LNG-to-power complex in Latin America, which is being built by GNA at Port of Açu.
The company also has environmental license to more than double its size, reaching 6.4 GW of installed capacity, which will allow the development of additional thermoelectric projects in the future.
The gas turbine was first transported by barge from Mülheim, Germany, to the Katoen-natie terminal in Antwerp, where it was subsequently loaded into the hold of the BBC Amethyst, together with other bulky components. The project cargo then continued its journey towards Porto do Açu.
Since 2017, Port of Antwerp International, a subsidiary of the Antwerp Port Authority, has been a shareholder of and long-term consultant to the Port of Açu, which is strategically located in the south-east of Brazil close to the major markets: Rio de Janeiro, Espirito Santo and Minas Gerais.