Germany's MAK Group will relocate purified terephthalic acid (PTA) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) assets from its complex in Rotterdam to Oman's Sohar Port and Freezone. The move marks another step in the migration of polyester-chain capacity out of Europe as producers struggle with rising costs and sustained competitive pressure from Asia.
MAK's subsidiaries Sohar Petrochemicals and Sohar International Minerachem signed an agreement with Oman's state owned OQ to assemble a $550mn integrated PTA–PET complex in Sohar using the repurposed equipment.
The relocated facility will have a combined output of around 1.5mn t/yr and will receive long-term paraxylene supply from OQ. The company will import additional feedstocks such as monoethylene glycol (MEG) and acetic acid through Sohar Port and transport them via a dedicated pipeline network.
The facility aims to supply markets across the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Europe.
MAK acquired the assets in Rotterdam after Thailand's Indorama Ventures shut them in 2024 because the economics of running them in Europe had become untenable. The shift reflects a broader contraction of Europe's PTA and PET footprint, including closures in downstream PET resin and fibre markets.
The project is part of OQ's co-ordinated downstream expansion strategy for Oman. Recent agreements aim to retain more value domestically by linking petrochemical feedstocks to local manufacturing capacity across polymers, chemicals and specialty derivatives through Sohar's integrated port and pipeline infrastructure.
