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| Tasweeq, Shell and QP representatives celebrate the first GTL naphtha cargo sale at Ras Laffan port |
Qatar has appointed its state-owned marketing company Tasweeq the sole marketer of GTL naphtha, the latest addition to Tasweeq’s “regulated products”.
GTL naphtha, a premium feedstock for the petrochemical industry, has a high paraffin content of more than 90% and contains virtually no sulphur. It is highly valued by steam cracker operators due to its high yields of olefins (ethylene and propylene).
“The Pearl GTL is yet another realisation of Qatar’s vision of becoming a leader in the supply of high quality and clean energy products to the world,” according to HE Mohamed Saleh al-Sada, Minister of Energy and Industry.
Tasweeq is expected to market approximately 1mn tonnes per year of Pearl GTL naphtha to key markets around the world and “we are keen to continue introducing GTL naphtha to the petrochemical and energy markets,” according to Saad al-Kuwari, Tasweeq CEO.
Terming the deals with Tasweeq as an important milestone, Andy Brown, Qatar Shell executive vice president said: “Our plant will produce significant quantities of GTL naphtha, a product which can yield 8% more high value chemicals than standard naphtha.”
Recently, Tasweeq also started marketing Qatar Petroleum’s crude oil (considered as a non-regulated product) under an agency agreement with QP.
Pearl GTL is expected to produce a number of high-quality GTL products for sale in markets around the world. They include GTL kerosene for blending into a clean burning aviation fuel; GTL gasoil, a clean-burning diesel-type automotive fuel; GTL base oils for premium lubricants; GTL normal paraffin for detergents; and GTL naphtha, a high-paraffin feedstock for the petrochemical industry.
The first cargo of GTL Gasoil was shipped on June 13.