Saras Invests in Mediterranean LSFO Bunkering Terminal Ahead of IMO Switch
By Ron Bousso LONDON, Nov 7 (Reuters)– Italian refiner Saras is building a ship-refueling terminal at its Sardinia plant as well as will certainly market a brand-new, cleaner aquatic gas in advance of a significant regulative modification in 2020, its president informedReuters
From January 2020, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) will certainly outlaw ships from utilizing gas with a sulphur web content over 0.5 percent, compared to 3.5 percent currently, in among the most significant adjustments in the oil market in years.
Refineries around the globe have actually been getting ready for the button by decreasing result of high-sulphur gas as well as updating plants to increase manufacturing of the cleaner, a lot more pricey gas, which resembles diesel.
Saras is buying framework that will certainly permit ships to dock outside its 300,000-barrels-per-day Sarroch refinery in Sardinia to straight pack ultra-low-sulphur aquatic gas oil (ULSFO), in what is called bunkering, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Dario Scaffardi claimed.
“Today, bunkering is based mainly on blending. In the Mediterranean you have Malta, where people bring different fuels and blend it. With the new specs, this (blending) will be very difficult to achieve for technical reasons so people like us, who will be able to produce directly the new fuel, will have the competitive advantage,” Scaffardi claimed.
“With a small investment, we will have bunkering infrastructure and a lightering vessel and start selling locally fuels to expand the market.”
The firm did not divulge the dimension of the financial investment.
Saras, among Europe’s most contemporary refineries which additionally has a trading workdesk in Geneva, is creating its very own ULSFO that the firm will certainly begin marketing straight to carriers.
The plant will originally create 500,000 to 600,000 tonnes of ULSFO each year, he claimed.
“This is a new line of business and we should be able to adapt to various market needs.”
(Reporting by Ron Bousso; Editing by Dale Hudson)
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