How IXOM Delivered an Australian-First MEG Ship-to-Ship Transfer

IXOM is a leading supplier of monoethylene glycol (MEG) and specialist chemical solutions across Australia and New Zealand, combining technical expertise, supply chain capability and operational excellence to solve complex customer challenges. In April 2026, IXOM concluded a groundbreaking specialised lean monoethylene glycol (MEG) ship-to-ship transfer at the Port of Dampier.

The 20-month project involved managing a mobile international supply chain to provide IXOM UltraPure MEG™ to a customer’s offshore platform. Our customer required a very specific MEG formulation with low dissolved oxygen (<20ppb) in order to protect their infrastructure, and as an added complexity, IXOM created a novel technical process to enable the delivery of the product via ship-to-ship (STS) transfer.

This was a unique and unfamiliar operation for all parties with many technical and procedural unknowns, and it shows how IXOM goes beyond standard supply agreements to deliver truly tailored solutions for our customers.

Innovation at Every Step

The project came with significant technical and logistical challenges that necessitated an innovative approach from IXOM.

The chemistry of IXOM UltraPure MEG™ was critical for the customer, with tight specifications around dissolved oxygen and residual chlorides. To get this right, IXOM sourced virgin product from our supplier in Singapore, then altered the chemistry of the product to spec through a mobile supply chain.

Once in spec, the product was transported from Singapore to Dampier via ship, maintained in an inert atmosphere during its voyage and through its subsequent transferral to the customer.

Crucially, product integrity had to be maintained through five handling steps with no exposure to atmosphere and thorough cleaning and treatment of every pipe and vessel. Conducting the transfer at sea also required measures to guard against seawater ingress, and the nature of the transfer made standard MEG-handling methods difficult to replicate.

IXOM added significant value through the implementation of a novel nitrogen purging operation, and detailed specialist chemical testing at each step of the process to guarantee product purity.

Proactive Engagement and a Safety Focus

Early, proactive engagement with port authorities and regulators proved crucial to the project’s success.

For example, IXOM engaged the local port authority almost 12 months ahead of STS operations, enabling early alignment and risk visibility. IXOM was able to share lessons learned from prior STS operations at similar ports, strengthening cross-stakeholder understanding of the operation. We were able to share comprehensive bow-tie risk assessments focused on Loss of Containment (LOC) scenarios, allowing for full engagement and a level of comfort that potential operational and environmental challenges had been considered.

Stakeholders also undertook a realistic readiness test with IXOM’s Emergency Response Service (ERS). The ERS test allowed IXOM to identify key improvements, including weather thresholds and clarifications to environmental impacts, that proved critical to the success of the project.

This level of preparation was crucial when it came to navigating highly dynamic conditions, adapting to additional services requests, technical and procedural unknowns, and changing scheduling requirements impacted by shifting transfer windows as a result of cyclones, public holidays, pre-planned leave, and evolving project priorities.

Beyond Project Management: Partnering for Operational Excellence

The project also highlighted the extraordinary initiative and capability of its dedicated project manager, Justin Mathew.

Justin was responsible for competing all pre-tender submission work with the customer, defining the detailed project scope, completing the business case, and ensuring internal and external stakeholder buy-in prior to the tender being awarded.

Upon being awarded the tender, Justin was the point-person for all aspects of the operation, with ultimate responsibility for over 27 stakeholder groups including internal IXOM teams, IXOM’s upstream MEG supplier, the customer’s onshore and offshore teams, port authorities, and subcontractors including specialist chemists, quality assurance teams and other logistics providers.

Ultimately, Justin delivered a complex offshore project while maintaining MEG quality, with zero operational incidents and no safety issues.

“This project brought together every aspect of IXOM’s capability, from product chemistry and quality assurance through to supply chain design, stakeholder engagement and offshore logistics. By working closely with our customer and delivery partners, we were able to develop a solution that met highly specialised requirements while maintaining quality, safety and reliability at every stage.”
Justin Mathew, Project Manager, IXOM

Industry-Wide Impact

This Australian-first operation confirms IXOM’s role as a highly capable solutions partner, no matter the level of technical difficulty involved.

The MEG STS project demonstrates IXOM's capability to design and execute complex offshore chemical supply chains, manage specialised product specifications, engage regulators and deliver safe, reliable outcomes that solve customers’ challenges while improving industry-wide knowledge. In completing this project, IXOM has set a global benchmark for MEG STS operations and demonstrated best practice as an example for the rest of the industry to follow.