Gazpromneft Marine Bunker acquires Estonian bunkering company
Gazpromneft Marine Bunker, operator of Gazprom Neft’s bunkering business, has completed acquisition of Estonian bunkering company AS Baltic Marine Bunker from AS NT Marine. According to press center of Gazprom Neft, it is the second foreign asset of Gazpromneft Marine Bunker after a Romanian company acquired in the beginning of the year.
AS Baltic Marine Bunker owns a 2,786-dwt bunkering vessel intended for dealing with both dark and light marine fuels.
Gazpromneft Marine Bunker expects that annual sales of marine fuels in the port of Tallinn will make at least 270,000 tonnes. The company plans the expansion of its footprint in the market through extended cooperation with ship owners and improved servicing of vessels.
Gazpromneft Marine Bunker LLC is a subsidiary of Gazprom Neft founded in 2007 for round-the-year supply of bunker fuels and marine oils for sea and river transport. The company holds leading position in Russia's bunker market with its share of 18.6%. Some 85% of the company’s customers are foreign ship owners. Gazpromneft Marine Bunker is a leading operator in the Russian bunker market, with the widest geographical reach of any Russian bunker company and a presence at all major ports of the Russian Federation: 15 sea ports and 9 river ports in total.In 2012, total bunker sales of Gazpromneft Marine Bunker reached 2.9 million tonnes. The amount of "on board" bunkering grew by 40% to 1.8 million tonnes.
In 2013, Gazprom Neft updated the development strategy of its bunkering business having extended it to 2025. In March 2013, the company entered the international market with the purchase of Romanian company Marine Bunker Balkan S.A, operating in the Black Sea port of Constanta.
Gazpromneft Marine Bunker sells low-sulphur marine fuel in the bunkering market of the Baltic region. The products are supplied from Gazprom Neft’s refineries. The company has obtained all the necessary licenses and agreements for handling and storage of products at the terminal.
The port of Tallinn (stevedoring company AS Tallinna Sada) is the forth largest port in the Baltic sea after the ports of St. Petersburg, Primorsk and Ust-Luga. It comprises four port areas: Muuga, Old City Harbour, Paljassaare, Paldiski South and Saaremaa. Annual consumption of bunker fuel hits 420,000 tonnes. According to the strategy of AS Tallinna Sadam, by 2020 the port of Tallinn is to increase its throughput by 46% (against 2012) to 43.2 mln t with a passenger traffic to surge by 20.7% to 10.67 mln persons.