LPG

LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) is predominantly propane and butanes, either segregated or in various ratios and mixtures of each product. LPG is a by-product of crude oil production (Associated Gas) and a by-product of natural gas production (Non Associated Gas). It is also a by-product of the refinery process, transported mainly in pressurised vessels.

Associated and Non Associated LPG or NGL’s (Natural Gas Liquids) are shipped via pipeline in large quantities where possible, for example in the US, and via refrigerated VLGC’s (Very Large Gas Carriers) from, for example, the US Gulf Coast to Japan. As well as being a fundamental building block in the petrochemical process, LPG it also a convenient fuel used globally for domestic purposes; in the northern hemisphere, LPG is used for home heating, while in Africa it is used as a cooking gas. In some markets, LPG is also used as a fuel for cars (known as Autogas).

We are a long-term participant in the global LPG market, having launched our operation in 1977. Today, we trade 22 million tonnes of LPG annually, enabling refiners to market a product they might once have flared and providing a reliable, competitively priced supply line to fuel distributors and utility companies.

We offer our customers a complete, end-to-end service. We operate a large fleet of purpose-built LPG tankers, comprising 17 dedicated modern pressurized LPG vessels, and have five handysize vessels and one very large gas carrier (VLGC) on time charter. We have also invested substantially in LPG infrastructure, including terminals and storage facilities and commissioned the Navgas LPG terminal in Lagos, Nigeria, where, in partnership with a local company, Nidogas, we built two 4,000 tonne pressurised spheres with a dedicated jetty, enabling us to deliver a reliable and constant supply of LPG to the local market.

In addition, we are working with customers to develop and deliver LPG to power generating solutions in markets worldwide.