LaycanDeskMethanol freight to Karachi - Salalah, Sohar and Point Lisas to Port Qasim and Keamari
IMPCA methanol in 5,000 to 20,000 tonne parcels on coated and stainless chemical tankers from Oman and Trinidad into Pakistan's chemical terminals, for the formaldehyde and resin makers. Pakistan imported 204,600 tonnes of methanol in 2025, 99 percent of it Saudi, and the Strait of Hormuz has been severely restricted since 28 February 2026. About 17,000 tonnes a month now have to come from Salalah and Sohar, three days' steaming away, or from Point Lisas on the long haul, into Engro Vopak at Port Qasim and the methanol tank farms in Karachi's Oil Installation Area.
Methanol in Pakistan goes into formaldehyde, and formaldehyde into the urea and melamine resins that bind particleboard, MDF and plywood; Dynea Pakistan and the other resin makers run on it, and the paint, pharmaceutical and solvent trades take the rest. Until the closure the Saudi plants supplied 203,200 of the 204,600 tonnes imported in 2025 (UN Comtrade), so the receivers have no habit of buying elsewhere. The open-coast replacements are close: Oman Methanol Company at Sohar, majority-owned by Proman, makes about 1.05 million tonnes a year, and Salalah Methanol Company has a 3,000 tonne a day plant in the Salalah Free Zone, whose output is marketed by OQ's trading arm. Point Lisas in Trinidad is the world's other large exporter, but its gas is short: Methanex is idling its 860,000 tonne Titan plant as its gas contract expires in September 2026, so Trinidad tonnes reach Pakistan as long-haul completion space, not as a shuttle. Methanol is an IBC Code ship type 3 product, carried in coated or stainless tanks and tested by wall-wash against the IMPCA specification before loading.
There are two ways in. Engro Vopak Terminal's jetty in the middle of the Port Qasim channel takes ships up to 75,000 dwt and the terminal handles about 70 percent of Pakistan's bulk liquid chemical imports; in Karachi Port's Oil Installation Area at Keamari, Novatex and Home Product International are listed by the port trust as chemical and methanol terminals, with the oil piers as their berths. Pakistani buyers take 3,000 to 10,000 tonne lots against a local letter of credit, so a 15,000 to 20,000 tonne Omani cargo is usually split between two receivers or two terminals. Charterers send the producer and load terminal, IMPCA grade, quantity and tolerance, the discharge terminal and its shore-line and draft limits, laycan, commission and the receiver of record; owners send the coating, last three cargoes and open tanks. Nothing goes to owners without the producer and the receiver named.
Load terminals
- Sohar (Oman Methanol Company, about 1.05 Mtpa)
- Salalah (Salalah Methanol Company, 3,000 t/day)
- Point Lisas, Trinidad (long-haul completion space; gas-curtailed)
- Saudi Red Sea is not a methanol origin; the Saudi plants are inside the strait
Discharge terminals
- Engro Vopak Terminal, Port Qasim (jetty to 75,000 dwt; about 70% of Pakistan's bulk liquid chemical imports)
- Novatex, Oil Installation Area, Keamari (chemicals and methanol)
- Home Product International, Oil Installation Area, Keamari (chemicals and methanol)
- Pakistan 2025: 204,600 t imported, 99% Saudi (UN Comtrade)
Typical parcels
- Omani cargoes 10,000–20,000 t, split across two receivers
- Receiver lots 3,000–10,000 t against a local LC
- IBC ship type 3; coated or stainless tanks
- IMPCA wall-wash before loading; last three cargoes declared
Ships that carry it
The cargo itself, on Commbril
The cargo from the freight side
Questions charterers and owners ask
Where did Pakistan's methanol come from before the restriction?
Saudi Arabia: 203,200 of the 204,600 tonnes imported in 2025, and the Saudi plants load inside the Strait of Hormuz. Oman sent 6,600 tonnes in 2024. The open-coast replacements are the Sohar and Salalah plants, three days from Karachi, with Trinidad as long-haul completion space.
Which terminals take methanol in Karachi?
Engro Vopak Terminal at Port Qasim, whose jetty takes ships up to 75,000 dwt and which handles about 70 percent of Pakistan's bulk liquid chemical imports, and in Karachi Port's Oil Installation Area the terminals the port trust lists for chemicals and methanol, Novatex and Home Product International among them. Confirm tank space and the shore-line limits with the terminal before the ship is nominated.
What size of ship?
A small chemical tanker of 8,000 to 20,000 dwt for a 5,000 to 15,000 tonne lot from Oman, or space on a parcel tanker when the lot is smaller. A coated MR fits a full 20,000 tonne cargo split between Port Qasim and Keamari. Methanol is IBC ship type 3, so coated tanks are acceptable provided the wall-wash passes.
What must I send to get a named ship?
Producer and load terminal, IMPCA grade, quantity and tolerance, discharge terminal with draft and shore-line limits, laycan, payment basis, commission and the receiver of record. Owners with coated or stainless tonnage opening in Oman, the west coast of India or Pakistan send name, IMO number, coating, last three cargoes and open tanks to desk-a005f1@in.laycandesk.com.