WORLD NEWS
6
| WORLD FERTILIZER |
NOVEMBER 2016
IN BRIEF
Nigeria
IHO-Agro International Inc. has concluded
an agent agreement with Ernest
Consulting Ltd, where Ernest will act as
the agent for the IHO-Bio and IHO-Agro
business in Nigeria. IHO-Mineral is a
natural mineral micronutrient supplement
used in normal fertilization to be applied
via foliar application in water dilution
of the concentrated product. IHO-Bio is
a natural supplement containing all the
micronutrients present in IHO-Mineral,
together with amino acids, vitamins and
various natural plant hormones.
Africa
The Abraaj Group, a leading investor
operating in global growth markets, has
acquired a minority stake in Indorama
Fertilizers B.V, the largest urea fertilizer
manufacturer in Sub-Saharan Africa. The
stake was purchased from Indorama
Holdings B.V. Netherlands, a wholly
owned subsidiary of Indorama Corp.
(Indorama), one of the world’s fastest
growing petrochemical companies with
operations in Asia, Africa, Europe and
North America.
M
atrix Service Co.’s subsidiary, Matrix Service Inc., has been awarded
the engineering, procurement, fabrication and construction of a
20 000 short t ammonia tank for Fortigen Geneva LLC’s new anhydrous
ammonia fertilizer manufacturing plant in Geneva, Nebraska.
The plant is Fortigen’s first fertilizer manufacturing facility and will
produce 100 short tpd of anhydrous ammonia.
This facility will take advantage of the low cost of natural gas and
reduced transportation costs to serve some of the most productive
crop lands in the world.
“As we continue to execute our own growth strategy across the gas
value chain, we are extremely proud to have been selected by Fortigen
to provide this critical work at its new facility,” said John Hewitt,
Matrix Service Co. President and CEO. “As a leader in the design,
construction, maintenance and repair of aboveground, cryogenic
and other storage tanks and pressure vessels, we look forward to
delivering this project safely, on time and on budget.”
The project team has initiated civil work at the job site with
construction of the tank scheduled for completion during 3Q17.
USA
Ammonia tank EPFC contract awarded
UK
Hancock Prospecting Ltd is expanding
its agricultural interests and has made a
US$300 million investment in UK fertilizer
firm Sirius Minerals. Sirius is developing
a polyhalite project in North Yorkshire,
which will be marketed as a
multi-nutrient agricultural fertilizer. The
project involves the construction of a
mine, a 37 km underground conveyor
system, and materials handling and port
facilities. The first phase of the project will
involve the development of 10 million tpy
capacity, with potential to quickly increase
to 13 million tpy and (subject to further
approvals) 20 million tpy.
S
hell has signed a key strategic agreement with OCP regarding the licence
of Shell Thiogro technology.
OCP will license Shell Thiogro technology, enabling the company to
produce highly concentrated sulfur-enhanced fertilizers, helping end-users
unlock even greater crop yields and improve soil health.
The technology will be installed at OCP’s Jorf Lasfar site in Morocco,
helping to expand its portfolio by incorporating micron-sized particles of
elemental sulfur into its existing ammonium phosphate, NPKs and current
sulfur-enhanced products.
“This partnership with Shell will bring us one step closer to achieving our
goal of offering farmers a wide selection of customised products tailored
to the specific needs of their soils,” said Mustapha El Ouafi, OCP’s Managing
Director. “We look forward to working with Shell as we implement the
Thiogro technology, which will provide OCP with a new solution to address
our customers’ needs for balanced, sulfur-enhanced fertilizers.”
“We are pleased to license our Shell Thiogro technology to OCP, one of
the world’s leading fertilizer producers, whose efforts continue to contribute
to improved food security in Africa and across the globe,” said Michael
Lumley, Vice President of Shell Sulphur Solutions. “Our team of sulfur
experts have worked hard to develop a safe and efficient technology for the
incorporation of elemental sulfur into fertilizers, and we have no doubt that
this agreement will have a positive impact for OCP and the farmers they
serve.”
The technology is expected to be installed and commissioned in 2017.
MOROCCO
Technology licensing agreement signed
