Section: Industry News

ClassNK has issued approval in principle for a concept design of the Multiple Alternative Fuels Ready (ammonia/methanol/ LNG) bulk carrier developed by Oshima Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. The certification confirms the feasibility of the vessel from regulatory and safety perspectives. ClassNK has published Annex 1 Alternative Fuel Ready of the Guidelines for Ships Using Alternative Fuels, which summarises the requirements for adding class notations to ships that do not use alternative fuels at the time of construction but are designed and partially equipped to accommodate such fuels in the future.

Woodside Energy says that its Beaumont New Ammonia (BNA) facility in southeast Texas has begun production of ammonia following the completion of systems testing, representing the first phase of operations commissioning of the facility. Commercial production of ammonia from BNA is expected to begin following the handover to Woodside Energy from OCI Global in early 2026. Production of lower-carbon ‘blue’ ammonia is targeted to start in the second half of 2026. Woodside says it has also finalised agreements with leading global customers to supply significant volumes of conventional ammonia from the BNA facility. Deliveries will commence in 2026 and continue through year-end, under contracts that reflect prevailing market prices. Additional agreements are being advanced to align with expected BNA output, including for lower-carbon ammonia.

Nutrien says that it underwent “a controlled shut down” of its Trinidad Nitrogen operations at the Point Lisas’ facility from October 23rd, 2025. The company said that the shutdown was in response to port access restrictions imposed by Trinidad and Tobago’s National Energy Corporation (NEC) and “a lack of reliable and economic natural gas supply that has reduced the free cash flow contribution of the Trinidad Nitrogen operations over an extended period of time”. Nutrien says that it will continue to engage with stakeholders and assess options with respect to its operations in Trinidad. Ammonia and urea sales volumes from Nutrien’s Trinidad operations were approximately 85,000 tonnes per month and 55,000 tonnes per month, respectively. Nutrien expects to be within its 2025 annual nitrogen sales volume guidance range of 10.7 to 11.2 million tonnes due to the continued strong performance of its North American Nitrogen operations.

The Jordan Free and Development Zones Group (JFDZ) says that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Nitrogen Jordan for Fertilisers to develop a gas-based ammonia plant within the Kingdom. Under the MoU, an area of around 200 hectares within the Al Karameh Free Zone on the Jordanian-Iraqi border will be allocated for the establishment of an ammonia production plant. The announcement follows positive developments at the Jordanian Risha Gas Project, located near the Iraqi border and major Jordanian crossings, approximately 30 kilometres from Al Karameh Free Zone, according to a JFDZ statement.

NextChem has signed a binding agreement to acquire the entire share capital of Ballestra Group, a global leader in the licensing, design and engineering of processing plants, as well as the supply of proprietary technologies and equipment for the chemical industry. Founded in 1960 and headquartered in Milan, Ballestra is the holding of a group of companies comprising BUSS ChemTech AG (Switzerland) and Ballestra Engineering and Projects Pvt. Ltd (India). It operates in over 120 countries with approximately 450 employees and offices in Europe and Asia. NextChem says that the acquisition will bring intellectual property, advanced proprietary technologies and distinctive engineering competences to its value proposition in specialty chemicals, including fluorine derivatives for lithium-ion batteries and for the metals and mining industries. This acquisition will also create cross-selling opportunities with Tecnimont, Maire Group’s integrated engineering and construction services business unit, in relation to energy transition and material transformation projects. The enterprise value is €108.3 million, resulting in a purchase price of approximately €126.5 million, subject to adjustments at closing, which is expected in the first half of 2026.

Clariant says that it closed the divestment of its legal entity (Clariant Venezuela S.A.) in Venezuela for $1.8 million to CMV Química CA, Venezuela as part of its ongoing footprint optimisation. In 2024, Clariant’s operations in Venezuela generated sales of around $3.8 million and employed around 60 people.

Deepak Nitrite Ltd says that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Deepak Chem Tech Ltd, has begun production at its new nitric acid plant in Nandesari, Vadodara district, Gujarat. The 70,000 t/a plant has been completed at a reported investment cost of $57 million. According to the company’s filing, the new plant will allow Deepak to “reestablish supply security for key intermediates, support greater resilience across the group’s chemical value chain and enable deeper penetration into high-value applications”.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid a foundation stone for a new ammonia-urea plant at Namrup in Assam on December 21st. The plant, to be constructed by the Assam Valley Fertiliser and Chemical Company Ltd (AVFCCL), will have a urea production capacity of 1.27 million t/a, and the project is scheduled for commissioning in 2030.

Dangote Fertilizer, Africa’s leading fertilizer producer, has awarded contracts to several major companies for the provision of licenses and technical expertise for the development of two new planned ammonia-urea complexes, one in Nigeria and the other in Ethiopia, as well as the provision of basic engineering and design services for the related plants.

NEXTCHEM has signed a binding agreement to acquire Ballestra Group for around €126.5 million. The announcement was made by Maire – Nextchem’s parent company – on 24th December.