26-06-2016

Tallest and heaviest fractionator process column arrives in Pengerang

PETRONAS has received the tallest and heaviest propylene fractionator process column for the steam cracker facility located within its Pengerang Integrated Complex (PIC) in Pengerang, Johor.
 
The arrival not only signified another major milestone and complemented the overall development of the PIC, but also established a new record as the tallest and heaviest process column to have ever landed on Malaysia’s shores.
 
The process column measures 121.3 metre high and weighs 1,808.6 tonnes - as tall as a high-rise building of about 37 storeys high, and similar in weight as a fully-fuelled A380 Airbus and a Boeing 747 airplane combined.
 
“I am proud to announce that our propylene fractionator has been recognised by the Malaysia Book of Records as the tallest and heaviest process column in Malaysia,” said PETRONAS Senior Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of PETRONAS Refinery and Petrochemical Corporation Sdn Bhd (PRPC), Ir Dr Colin Wong Hee Huing.
 
PIC is a mega-scale, high-complexity development consisting of 23 process plants for refinery, steam cracker, petrochemicals and associate facilities. The project is entering the construction phase and is progressing as scheduled.
 
“We are optimistic that we can deliver this development within a relatively short timeframe of 52 months from when we reached our Final Investment Decision (FID) in April 2014. We are now at the mid-point of the project schedule and are on track towards achieving the overall PIC start-up in the first quarter of 2019,” Dr Wong added.
 
He urged contractors and employees to continue adhering to PETRONAS’ health, safety and environment (HSE) standards without any compromises as the PIC development progressed towards reaching its construction peak.
 
The process column had travelled eight days aboard the Jumbo Maritime-operated vessel MV Fairmaster, all the way from the Hyundai Mipo Dockyard in South Korea, before arriving at the Material Offloading Facility (MOLF) port in Tanjung Setapa, Johor.
 
The vessel also carried a smaller-scale propylene fractionator and an ethylene fractionator. All three process columns are part of the main structures for PIC’s steam cracker complex, to be constructed by a consortium of Toyo Engineering Corporation and Toyo Engineering & Construction Sdn Bhd.

Present to receive this state-of-the-art equipment on Saturday, June 25 were PETRONAS President and Group Chief Executive Office, Datuk Wan Zulkiflee Wan Ariffin, PETRONAS Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer Downstream, Encik Md Arif Mahmood, and Toyo Engineering Corporation Senior Executive Officer, Mr Shoji Koshikawa.
 
Also present at the ceremony was Malaysia Book of Records’ Director of Operations, Mr Christopher Wong Hong Wai, who presented the certificate of attempt to PETRONAS.