J. Müller übernimmt Schwefelterminal im Seehafen Brake

On 1 June 2025 J. Müller SE took control of the sulphur terminal in the seaport of Brake from SulServ International GmbH. The sale of the terminal took place as part of the restructuring process at SulServ International GmbH and SulServ's associated withdrawal from the operational terminal business. Under the agreement reached, overall responsibility will be transferred to J. Müller and the facility will be operated by J. Müller Weser GmbH & Co. KG, as are the other operational activities at the Port of Brake.

"We would like to thank SulServ for their confidence in us and our cooperative partnership in recent years," Manuela Drews, Managing Director of J. Müller Weser, commented. "As a result of the takeover, we will be able to manage the terminal ourselves in the future, ensure its targeted further development and expansion as a strong link in our logistics chain."

Dr Malte Köster (partner at WILLMERKÖSTER), who oversaw the sale of the terminal as a restructuring expert at SulServ, emphasised: ‘The supply of sulphur is of great strategic importance for the chemical industry in Germany. Under the umbrella of J. Müller, clear prospects have been created for the sulphur terminal in the seaport of Brake.’

Handling of solid and liquid sulphur

The specialised facility is designed for safe handling and storage of solid and liquid sulphur. With a handling capacity of more than 500,000 tonnes annually and the facilities for transshipment between ocean-going vessels, tankers, tank wagons and pipelines, the terminal provides modern logistic interfaces for special chemical products. The comprehensive range of safety equipment fulfils the highest environmental and safety requirements.

"With the transfer of ownership we are securing the continued existence of a logistically and economically important facility and are clearly positioning ourselves as a strong partner for the chemical industry," Drews emphasised. "At the same time we are opening up new perspectives – in future our focus will be on the import market, which is becoming increasingly important in the light of declining domestic sulphur sources."

Reorientation towards the import market

With this takeover, J. Müller is consciously looking to the future. While sulphur handling in Brake was originally founded on sour gas extraction in northern Germany, for example as a result of natural gas processing in Großenkneten, this chapter is mainly closed. The domestic sulphur market is now exhausted – making the strategic development of the import business all the more important. Sulphur remains a sought-after raw material in a number of industrial applications.

Retrospective: 45 years of sulphur handling in Brake – a chapter in the port’s history

As early as 1980, the Wesermarsch district newspaper ran the headline: "Solid sulphur – the latest export product from Brake". At the time the Norddeutsche Erdgasaufbereitungs-Gesellschaft [NEAG] began handling sulphur at the port. The site reached its peak in 1999 with up to 820,000 tonnes of sulphur per year.

In the years that followed, technology underwent constant further development, from the slating system to rotoformers, from high-dust granulate to storage-friendly sulphur pellets. In 2020, NEAG sold the terminal to SulServ due to the decline in sour gas production.

Today's facility continues the previous tradition – modern, efficient and ready for new challenges.

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