How IMTT’s commitment to sustainable solutions is transforming the future of bulk liquid storage
As one of the largest independent bulk liquids storage and logistics providers in North America, IMTT operates from 13 North American locations where it handles and stores a variety of bulk liquids like chemicals, oils, renewable fuels, and crude or refined petroleum products. With strategically located assets along major waterways and close to key distribution hubs, the business has provided efficient storage and movement for more than 80 years.
When we last featured IMTT in Energy, Oil & Gas magazine in 2023, Carlin Conner, IMTT’s CEO, discussed recent projects and emphasized how crucial the bulk liquid storage industry will be in the global energy transition to greener products, cleaner production, and decarbonization. In fact, the company’s storage revenue has seen more than a 35 percent increase in renewable fuels since 2017.
Sustainable solutions
While IMTT will continue to handle legacy petroleum, it has successfully implemented a strategy to become a ‘Greener and Cleaner’ terminals company. With this in mind, we catch up with Carlin to learn more about IMTT’s latest projects. “Although there are currently a lot of questions and uncertainties around the energy transition, we believe that our customers will require significant support to decarbonize fuel systems,” Carlin begins.
“Our business is very capital intensive, meaning we think about execution through a long-term perspective. We’re continuing to execute our ‘Greener and Cleaner’ strategy, and we have several projects underway or about to begin that concentrate on sustainable solutions. Our renewable diesel contract in Geismar, Louisiana, is now operational, for instance, and we’ve also commissioned methanol tanks to strengthen and extend our relationship with a world-leading methanol producer.
“As we continue to serve our existing customers, we’re working on several other projects, which we hope to announce in the first half of 2025. The energy transition is an ongoing, long-term activity, so we must also remain nimble and fluid. We like to think of our ‘Greener and Cleaner’ strategy as a living one that allows us to effectively adapt to market demands and requirements as they evolve.”
One of IMTT’s key ongoing projects is the co-development of a $6.4 billion reduced carbon ammonia, otherwise known as blue ammonia, production and export facility in St. Charles Parish, Louisiana. The contract will see St. Charles Clean Fuels (SCCF), which is jointly owned by strategic energy investment companies, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and Sustainable Fuels Group, develop the plant at IMTT’s St Rose facility.
“We’re excited to be working with SCCF on this project, where we will provide all the logistics, terminal and dock systems, and pipework required to serve the production facility,” Carlin says. “Once operational, we will provide the necessary systems for SCCF to export blue ammonia. IMTT is the ideal partner for this project because of our strategic location on the waterfront, where we already have the necessary marine infrastructure on the river. As we continue to right-size our legacy petroleum footprint, we have freed up capacity on our waterfront to be able to handle this new export.”
Elaborating on the benefits of blue ammonia and the process behind its production, Carlin continues: “Blue ammonia is a decarbonized solution for ammonia; the process reforms natural gas by separating the carbon and hydrogen, the latter of which is then paired with nitrogen via a chemical process that produces ammonia. It is a decarbonized solution because the producer captures the carbon dioxide from the reforming process, which is then sequestered in Class VI wells.
“By lowering the carbon score for ammonia, this decarbonized ammonia solution can help companies reduce their own carbon intensity scores, particularly as many institutions and businesses are under increased pressure to decarbonize in line with country mandates or net-zero targets. Blue ammonia is currently being used in several applications, such as for agricultural fertilizer, transport fuels or co-firing power plants in Asia, and its sustainability benefits are already highly valued.”
Changing landscape 
Amid IMTT’s long list of projects, the business is embracing the industry’s changing landscape by consolidating its existing bulk liquid storage operations in Bayonne, New Jersey, freeing up 130 of over 400 terminal acres for redevelopment. “Located on the Hudson River, downstream from Manhattan, our Bayonne facility is the largest storage and logistics facility in New York Harbor,” Carlin states. “The site has played a vital role in the development of one of America’s most economically vibrant areas, but we announced a partial decommission of the facility around 18 months ago. We believe that demand for tanks in the New York Harbor will continue to be challenged, and we must recognize the country’s changing landscape.
“As a real estate development, this project is totally different for us. We’re currently in research mode to reimagine how it can be best used to support other aspects of energy transition. We want the site to become the future home of the next generation of industrial development to serve the region’s evolving needs.”
Future plans
Across all its projects, Carlin is keen to highlight that IMTT truly cares about the communities in which it operates, including its employees. “Our number one priority is safety, both for our employees and the wider community,” he states. “Our people do an incredible job of operating safely and protecting our customers’ products to ensure we operate effectively.”
Turning to the future, Carlin shares: “We’ll continue to focus on our projects throughout 2025, as well as progressing our real estate development in Bayonne. We’re also finalizing contracts and preparing to announce three-to-five expansion projects on the lower Mississippi River as we move further into the year. 2025 will be an important year for us to take the next step in terms of investment, particularly for our Greener and Cleaner strategy.
“Our focus will be much the same as we move forward beyond 2025,” he concludes. “We’re confident that low carbon fuel standards and expectations will remain in place around the world, and we hope to leverage even more opportunities to build infrastructure for our customers.”