Braskem's  first  cargo  of  US  ethane  was  expected  to  arrive  in  Rio de  Janeiro, Brazil, on 

Wednesday aboard the Gaschem Arctic. 

The  journey  marked  the  first  time  US  ethane  moved  to  South  America, as  the previous

exports  out  of  Enterprise  Products'  Morgan's Point, Texas, ethane export terminal traveled 

to Europe and India. 

The  9,133  mt  Gaschem  Arctic  departed  from  the  Morgan's  Point  terminal  on  February 

4, according to cFlow, Platts'  trade-flow software. The vessel, which entered Guanabara Bay 

on Wednesday, is carrying about 78,000 barrels of ethane to Braskem's Rio de Janeiro plant, 

a source said. 

The  company  owns  four  crackers in Brazil -- with the 520,000 mt/year Rio unit the only one 

cracking gas exclusively. 

Braskem  has  also  time-chartered  the  Gaschem  Atlantic  and  Caribic  to  move ethane, a 

shipbroker said. 

The 9,127 mt Gaschem Atlantic is laden in the Gulf of Mexico and expected to arrive in Rio d

e Janeiro on March 10, according to cFlow.