BFC starts inland waterways shipping with brand-new tanker
St. Petersburg-based Baltic Fuel Company (BFC LLC) on May 7, 2012 commenced inland waterways shipping season with the maiden voyage of the newly built tanker “Maria” on the Volga-Baltic Canal, the shipping company said Thursday.
The tanker "Maria" is the second vessel of a series of four non-self propelled oil tankers of Project 2734 being built at Baltiysky Zavod Shipyard (St. Petersburg, part of United Shipbuilding Corporation, USC).
The ship was launched on December 29, 2011. The 2734 project lead vessel named “Taisiya" (Thais) was floated out on Sept. 27, 2011. The third barge “Mira” was launched on April 27, 2012 and is currently set to undergo sea trials. The fourth serial tanker is scheduled for launch by the end of this year navigation season.
During the 2012 navigation season, the company will deploy six tankers of total capacity of 30,000 tons for oil products transportation on Russia’s inland waterways. In this summer navigation the company is set to carry by its own fleet at least 500,000 tons of oil products. BFC plans to strengthen its position next year in the inland waterways shipping of oil products, through expansion of its new fleet of product carriers as well.
St. Petersburg-headquartered Baltic Fuel Company was established in 2008 to manage bunkering companies of the holding. For over 10 years, the Group’s divisions have been engaged in oil product exports, bunkering operations, provision of environmental services, etc. The company boasts one of the largest bunkering fleet in the North-West of Russia, which comprises 31 vessels. Baltic Fuel Company ranks among top 3 leaders in the market of bunkering services at the ports of St. Petersburg and Leningrad region and is one of the three leading oil trucking companies in the country’s northwest region.