EMEA News
ECOSlops Recycled Bunker Producer Opens Refinery, Accelerates Industrial Production
France-based Ecoslops in a emailed press release Tuesday said its refinery in Portugal's Port of Sinès has started industrial production of recycled marine fuel made out of marine oil residue (slops).
The company says it is now accelerating production, and developing infrastructure in order to drive "ambitious growth plans."
Ecoslops’ refinery, which is said to have the capacity to produce 30,000 tonnes of recycled fuel per year, is reported to have already delivered the first volume of ISO8217 compliant marine fuel products, a development that Ecoslops says validates the commercial proposition of the company.
"This is a landmark moment for Ecoslops, as we prove the commercial and sustainable viability of creating marine fuel products from slops," said Vincent Favier, CEO of Ecoslops.
Ecoslops says it has produced 1,400 tonnes of fuel products for the marine market, including MDO and heavy fuel oil, from slops collected during 2015's third quarter.
Some 98 percent of slops were recycled for commercial use, it noted.
"In the current climate, waste collectors are finding it increasingly difficult to sell unprocessed slops and many ports do not have sufficient collection or storage infrastructure," explained Favier.
"For ship owners and operators, it is highly cost-effective, efficient and sustainable to be able to take a waste product, for which the disposal is strictly regulated, and turn it into a reusable marine fuel."
The company says it has meanwhile strengthened its senior team, appointing Pascal Bonfils as Group Industrial Director, and Pedro Simões as General Manager of Ecoslop's Portugal-based subsidiary in Sinès, noting that both individuals have "substantial experience" in the energy, industrial and petrochemical markets.
Ecoslops further notes that it has been developing facilities in the Ivory Coast, and is exploring opportunities in both the Mediterranean and the North of Europe in order to meet its goal of bringing three more facilities on line by 2017.
"Our focus now is on accelerating production at the Port of Sinès by collecting more slops locally and through import, as well as further developing our global infrastructure to capitalise on the opportunities within the global slops market," concluded Favier.
In March, Ecoslops announced that both its distillate marine fuel (MDO) and its residual marine oil (IFO 380), have met and exceeded ISO 8217 specifications.
