Russian oil producer Gazprom Neft on Tuesday (3 March) said Gazpromneft Marine Bunker, the operator of its bunkering business, posted a 2% on year rise in bunker sales to 3 million metric tonnes (mt) in 2019.
It sold about 317,514 mt of ultra- and low-sulphur marine fuels in 2019, exceeding the same indicator in 2018 by 47%.
As part of the diversification of its marine fuel portfolio, Gazprom Neft expanded its range of petroleum products meeting the requirements of the MARPOL-2020 Convention and began selling hybrid low-sulphur fuel in the ports within the North-West region, as well as in Novorossiysk, from 2019.
In 2019, the total bunker sales volume of 0.5% low sulphur fuels was about 79,832 mt while sales of ultra-low sulphur fuels (sulphur content less than 0.1%) intended for SECA special shipping zones increased by 10% to 236,775 mt, it stated.
“The new requirements of the international convention coming into force posed a serious challenge for shipowners and suppliers of marine fuel and required the implementation of strategic initiatives to ensure the uninterrupted supply of new petroleum products with high environmental performance,” said Alexei Medvedev, Gazpromneft Marine Bunker CEO.
“Large-scale modernization of the refinery, the development of terminal and bunkering infrastructure, the development of its own unique formulations of marine fuel allowed Gazprom Neft to prepare in advance for the new environmental requirements of MARPOL.
“In 2020, we plan to increase the share of ultra- and low-sulphur marine fuels in total sales up to 50%.”
In addition to increasing LSFO bunker sales, Gazprom Neft is working on the development of a new market segment for LNG bunkering, it said.
Liquefied natural gas has significant potential as a marine fuel due to its environmental performance and economic efficiency.
In the coming years, LNG fuel meets the environmental requirements of the MARPOL 2020 International Convention both in terms of sulphur content and concentration of nitrogen compounds will play a key role in the marine fuel market.
Currently, Gazprom Neft is implementing a project to build the first Russian LNG bunker.
The commissioning of this type of vessel will allow for the onboard ship-to-board shipping of LNG in the ports of the Baltic Sea.
Related: Gazprom Neft commences commercial production of VLSFO
Photo credit: Gazpromneft
Published: 4 March, 2020
IBIA Asia, ABIS, sources from Singapore’s bunkering and surveying companies, and an industry veteran share with Manifold Times the issues expected from MPA’s latest Covid-19 measures.
The top three positive movers in the 2020 bunker supplier list are Hong Lam Fuels Pte Ltd (+13); Chevron Singapore Pte Ltd (+12); and SK Energy International (+8), according to MPA list.
‘We will operate in the Singapore bunkering market from the Tokyo, with support from local staff at Sumitomo Corporation Singapore,’ source tells Manifold Times.
Changes include abolishing advance declaration of bunkers as dangerous cargo, reducing pilotage fees on vessels receiving bunkers, and a ‘whitelist’ system for bunker tankers.
Claim relates to deliveries of MGO to the vessels Pacific Diligence, Pacific Valkyrie, Pacific Defiance, Crest Alpha 1, and Pacific Warlock between March 2020 to April 2020.
3,490 mt of LSFO from Itochu Enex was lifted at Universal Terminal; the same bunker stem was bought by Global Marine Logistics and delivered by bunker tanker Juma to receiving vessel Kirana Nawa.