On March 30, reports stated that Ineos Group has warned investors that its new Project 1 ethane cracker in Antwerp is likely to be delayed, as two key modules have been stranded in the Persian Gulf due to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.

Known as Project 1, the facility was originally scheduled to be completed by the end of this year and start production in early 2027. The latest disruption will add to delays the project has already suffered. The project was held up in 2023 after the Flemish government revoked the company’s earlier environmental permit. Work resumed in 2024 once Ineos obtained a new permit.

The two components are currently at a port in the Persian Gulf. According to Ineos’s 2025 annual report, the final two modules were expected to be delivered from the United Arab Emirates in the second quarter of 2026. Their arrival date is now uncertain.

Ineos Project 1 will be the first of its kind built in Europe in nearly 30 years, with an expected annual ethylene production capacity of 1.5 million metric tons. The company will import low-cost ethane from the United States as feedstock, and the ethylene produced will supply its other plants across Europe. The plant will be the most efficient of its kind in Europe, with lower emissions compared to conventional petrochemical facilities.