Heavy transport vessel ZHE SHAN has arrived in Antwerp carrying the second and final major module for INEOS’ Project ONE ethane cracker.

The module weighs 7,200 tonnes and was fabricated in Abu Dhabi. It is one of the final two process modules required to complete the cracker installation at the Project ONE site in Lillo, in the Port of Antwerp.

Transport of the module from Abu Dhabi was disrupted around the Strait of Hormuz. The vessel carrying the cargoes later passed through the strait during a one-week ceasefire in mid-June before continuing to Antwerp via the Suez Canal.

INEOS selected a modular construction method for Project ONE, with process modules and pipe racks assembled at overseas fabrication sites while civil engineering and foundation work progressed in Antwerp. The company said the approach also addressed space constraints at the project site.

Project ONE is a €5 billion engineering project centred on a new ethane cracker in Lillo’s industrial area. The plant is designed for a nameplate production capacity of 1,450 kt of ethylene per year. Ethane will be converted into ethylene at the facility.

With civil engineering work completed and the final module being installed, activity at the Antwerp site has shifted towards mechanical, electrical and instrumentation work. Around 2,500 people from approximately 80 contractors are currently working at the site, with more than 14 million man-hours recorded.

Current work includes the installation of 1,250 km of instrumentation and electrical cables and leak testing. The administrative headquarters, control room and warehouses are also being completed.

The site received permanent electrical power following commissioning of its 380 kV main substation. Commissioning is being carried out in stages as individual subsystems reach mechanical completion.

INEOS has scheduled mechanical completion of the full site for summer 2027 and is targeting start-up of the ethane cracker in the second half of 2027.