EMEA News
Gazpromneft Buys Black Sea Bunker Supplier
Gazpromneft Marine Bunker says it has acquired Marine Bunker Balkan S.A. of Romania, which supplies fuel at the port of Constanţa on the Black Sea.
The deal, made with previous owner Unicorn Holding, represents the first international asset for the bunkering division of Russian oil company Gazprom Neft.
"The strategic objective of Gazprom Neft's bunker business is to become a significant player in the international bunker fuel market," said Alexander Dyukov, chairman of Gazprom Neft's management board.
"Gazpromneft Marine Bunker's international expansion represents a key step in this direction.
"I am confident that the experience of working in the European market gained as a result of this acquisition, combined with our existing successful asset management in Russia, will further strengthen Gazprom Neft's bunkerage position."
Marine Bunker Balkan manages two bunker vessels, two mooring barges, and a 4,000 tonne-capacity storage vessel, and it leases the 1,500 tonne-capacity Constanţa Oil Terminal.
The company's annual bunker fuel sales are expected to exceed 100,000 tonnes, and Gazpromneft Marine Bunker plans to expand into the Romanian ports of Mangalia and Midia, using fuel from Gazprom Neft's refineries in Russia and Serbia.
Altogether, Gazpromneft Marine Bunker said it sold 2.9 million tonnes of vessel fuel in 2012.
The company has said it plans to increase its bunker fuel sales by 8.2 million tonnes by 2025, nearly tripling its 2012 level.
