Anatoli Druzhinin: Bunker Company will contribute even more into the Arkhangelsk region development

Anatoli Druzhinin, Director General of Bunker Company CJSC, tells about specific operation at the ports of Arkhangelsk, Kandalaksha and Onega, at the Northern Dvina river and the Solovetsky Islands.

- Mr. Druzhinin, tell about you business: what facilities does your company have at the port of Arkhangelsk and what are your opportunities and advantages over other market players?

- Our company is engaged in all types of bunkering. We can bunker vessels at berths, in the roads and in the open sea. Our company is marked as the only bunker supplier at the port of Arkhangelsk owing a full set of technical facilities for round-the-year operation in the market of bunker supply and oil product transportation. We own a technological complex for oil product discharge from tank wagons with a rail approach to it.  Our facilities allow simultaneous handling of 8 tank wagons with heavy fuel oil or 18 tank wagons with light oil products. Besides, the company operates a shore-based boiler house and a specialized berth for bunkering of vessels. The company’s fleet comprises 13 vessels including storage tankers capable of simultaneous storing of up to 7,000 tonnes of heavy fuel oil and 7,000 tonnes of light oil products as well as four bunkering vessels with aggregate capacity exceeding 6,000 tonnes, which deliver oil products directly to storage tankers.

- What types of fuel does your company sell and how do you exercise the quality control?

- We provide our customers with different types and classes of marine bunker fuel, diesel fuel and low-viscosity marine fuel. Our company also has systems for fuel blending and changing of its physiochemical characteristics in compliance with individual requirements of our customers. Moreover, Bunker Company successfully cooperates with Lukoil-Aero in rendering services on transshipment and storing of jet engine fuel for the purposes of Talagi airport.

An engine failure or shutdown on the open sea caused by the poor quality of fuel may result in drastic consequences so we are responsible for our product quality to our customers. To exercise the product quality control we have our own chemical laboratory with advanced equipment where each batch of oil products is thoroughly examined by qualified specialists for compliance with State Standards, Technical Specifications and customers’ requirements. The quality control is performed both at the stage of oil product delivery from suppliers and at all stages of the product transportation to a customer.

- What marks the operation at the port of Arkhangelsk and at the Northern Dvina river?

- Our company is located in the city of Arkhangelsk on the bank of the Northern Dvina and major problems we face when bunkering relate to weather conditions.  From December till May the Dvina is covered with ice and we have to use tug boats or icebreakers for non-stop operation.  In late April – early May the Northern Dvina has several days of spring break up. During this period huge ice masses move along the river and the navigation is closed. Over the ice-drift period the vessels need to be taken away from berths to special places but fortunately it doesn’t last for more than five days.

Besides, oil product discharge is difficult in winter because of the severe frosts. According to railway standards, tank wagons should not spend more than two days under discharge and in case the company fails to meet this term it is subject to penalty per each idle day. Bunker Company carries out its activities all year round and in winter it has to pay fines for wagon detention when the discharge is delayed.

- How do you meet the challenge of environmental pollution when carrying out the bunkering operations and at your terminal as well?

- First of all, I want to mention that Bunker Company has obtained the complete package of authorization for handling operations. We have licenses for loading/unloading of dangerous cargoes at railway transport and at seaports, maritime transportation of cargo as well as collection and disposal of oil wastes. The company’s ecological service ensures observance of all ecological rules and norms, takes the required measurements and makes reports.
Every year our company participates in exercises on oil spill response in ports arranged by environmental supervisor RosPrirodNadzor. I emphasize that our personnel participating in exercises carry out boom-laying operations themselves, without recourse to liquidating organizations and in fraction of the time set up by the regulations. So I think we are prepared for an emergency situation.
Apart from the above, our company monitors the appearance of new laws, standards and regulations related to bunkering and carefully observes them.

- What are your primary customers?

- Our company services a wide range of customers. First of all, they are the customers at the port of Arkhangelsk and all around the Arkhangelsk region. For example, in 2012 we carried some 5,000 tonnes of fuel to Naryan-Mar airport for Lukoil-Aero, the deliveries were made to the Solovetsky islands as well. The company also supplies cargoes to the northern territories like Nenets autonomous region. We carry out bunkering at Kandalaksha and Onega ports, supply oil products to the Arctic Ocean off-shore development areas. Besides, the company participates in organization of annual deliveries to Russia’s Northern Territories: it transships and transports oil products to the ports and port points of the White and Barents Seas and in 2013 we plan to participate in fuel supplies for construction of port Sobetta in the Gulf of Ob.

There are foreign shipowners among our customers. Over three years the company wins and successfully fulfills the contracts for bunkering of the dredging fleet of the Dutch company Van Oord engaged in the construction of the subsea gas pipeline in the Baidarata Bay of the Yamal peninsula. In 2010, Van Oord sent us a letter of gratitude marking the high quality of our services. We plan to continue cooperation with the Dutch companies.

- Tell about other projected plans of Bunker Company, please.  

- In 2012, the company completed the reconstruction of its discharge and bunkering equipment. As of today, we near the completion of the last railway branch enabling us to increase the discharge of light oil products to 25 wagons. To keep up bunkering during winter period we currently hire an ice-breaking tanker.
Besides, from November 2012 Bunker Company bears the status of a large taxpayer and today it is one of the largest taxpayers in the Arkhangelsk region along with such companies as Rosneft and Tatneft. In the future, we plan to boost the supply of oil products and the services for oil product transportation. Higher supplies will result in the increase of income and consequently in the increase of taxes paid by the company so we will contribute even more into the Arkhangelsk region development.