The share of low-sulphur marine fuels has exceeded 60% of the total sales over the three-year period
By the end of 2022, Gazpromneft-Marine Bunker, operator of Gazprom Neft’s marine bunkering business, is going to sell over 200 thousand tonnes of environmentally friendly marine fuel with sulphur content of less than 0.5%. This type of fuel is produced at the company’s terminals in Saint-Petersburg, Arkhangelsk and Novorossiysk. It is supplied to all the 35 Russian ports covered by the activities of Gazpromneft Marine Bunker including as a marine fuel, including bunkering of ships on the Northern Sea Route, says the company.
The fuel formula includes components of summer diesel fuel and dark oil products. It is the tenth fuel in the company’s range of low-sulphur marine fuels.
“The company has developed and launched industrial production of low-sulphur marine fuel well in advance of MARPOL-2020 requirements coming into force. The product with a sulphur content of less than 0.5% is produced at the company’s Moscow and Omsk Refineries as well as at Gazpromneft-Marine Bunker’s fuel terminals,” reads the statement.
According to Aleksey Medvedev, General Director of Gazpromneft Marine Bunker, the share of low-sulphur marine fuels has exceeded 60% of the total sales over the three-year period. He believes that this figure is going to increase taking into account high demand of shipping companies for high-tech petroleum products.
MARPOL is the «International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships». An amendment to the main treaty in early 2015 introduced further regulation governing the permissible amount of sulphur in marine fuels used in vessels covering Sulphur Emission Control Areas (SECA, covering shipping zones including the Baltic Sea, the North Sea and the English Channel, where vessels are required to switch to low-sulphur fuels). With effect from 1 January 2020 the requirements of the MARPOL Convention forbidding the use of fuels with sulphur content above 0.5 percent have come into force throughout international navigation.
Gazpromneft Marine Bunker, a subsidiary of Gazprom Neft, was established in 2007 to provide year-round supplies of marine fuel and oils for sea and river vessels. Gazpromneft Marine Bunker currently numbers seven regional offices and six subsidiary companies. The company operates in main sea ports of Russia.
The prospects of LNG-powered shipping and other alternative fuels will be in the focus of experts and market players at the 6th conference “LNG Fleet, LNG Bunkering and Alternatives” which is to be held by PortNews Media Group on 2 November 2022 in Moscow. The work on the programme is underway – proposals and suggestions are welcome. Visit the Conference page >>>>
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