Handling of dark oil products rose by 4%
In January-September, Petersburg Oil Terminal (POT) handled 6.9 million tonnes of oil products, 1% less, year-on-year. POT’s share in transshipment of oil products via Big Port St. Petersburg made 79%, down 2 p.p., according to the stevedore’s statistics.
Handling of light oil products totaled 2.5 million tonnes, down from 2.8 million tonnes in the same period of the previous year (-9.8%). Handling of dark oil products rose to 4.3 million tonnes from 4.1 million tonnes (+4%). Handling of kerosene fell by 5.7%, from 228,000 tonnes to 215,000 tonnes.
In the reported period, Big Port St. Petersburg demonstrated a 2-pct growth of liquid bulk cargo handling totaling 8.7 million tonnes with POT accounting for 79% of it.
According to Mikhail Skigin, Chairman of POT BoD, the terminal has almost retained the results of the previous year reminding that in 2020 POT handled 9.2 million tonnes, a record high result over the recent years (in 2016 – POT handled 5 million tonnes of oil products). This year has seen a reduction in the segment of light oil products due to the growing demand of Russian refineries. “From the beginning of the year the oil market has seen a high demand for oil products with a positive refinery margin while crude oil goes directly to refineries, not to the storage facilities. Therefore, exports of dark oil products is higher while light oil products do not leave the country, – says Mikhail Skigin. – We do not expect any crucial changes but it is really hard to make any long-term forecasts in the oil market which is of high volatility”.
In September 2021, Saint-Petersburg Governor Aleksandr Beglov and Chairman of Petersburg Oil Terminal BoD Mikhail Skigin officially kicked off the project on reconstruction of the terminal’s so called ‘old’ part built in 1960s. Obsolete storage facilities will be replaced with modern double-wall tanks to eliminate a risk of oil spills. The terminal will be fitted with wasteheat exchangers and steam traps. POT was given a status of a strategic investor into the city economy and the project obtained a status of a strategic investment project of Saint-Petersburg. RUB 5 billion will be invested into the project’s phase 1. Both own and raised resources will be used for the project implementation.
Petersburg Oil Terminal is one of Russia’s terminals for transshipment of oil products in the Baltic Region. It is an advanced transshipment facility and one of the largest stevedoring companies of Big Port St. Petersburg. POT offers a hi-tech acceptance of oil products delivered by railway, river and road transport as well as shipment of oil products by road transport, sea-going ships and bunkering vessels. The terminal established in 1995 covers the area of 37 hectares and numbers 37 tanks for light and dark oil products. Its annual capacity is 10 million tonnes. In 2020, POT shipped over 9.2 million tonnes of oil products.