OREANDA-NEWS. Gazpromneft Marine Bunker, operator of the Gazprom Neft bunkering business, has seen sales growth of 22 percent in marine fuels throughout the Black Sea ports of Novorossiysk, Tuapse, Sochi, Taman, Kavkaz and Temryuk in 2015, reaching total sales of 795,000 tonnes. On-board bunkering volumes throughout Russia’s Black Sea region were also up by 22 percent, reaching 682,000 tonnes.

2015 results indicate that Gazpromneft Marine Bunker is now the market-leading marine fuels supplier in the Black Sea region, with a market share of 20.3 percent.

A new bunkering vessel, the Gazpromneft Omsk, was acquired last year for deployment in Novorossiysk, with a deadweight of 5,372 tonnes — the third in the Gazpromneft Marine Bunker Black Sea fleet. Work was also initiated on the modernisation of the company’s own transhipment complex, which will see the on-loading—offloading handling area increasing, a two-fold expansion of the receiving terminal (tank farm), and energy efficiency, environmental protection and workplace safety at the facility also improved.

Gazpromneft Marine Bunker CEO Andrei Vasiliev commented: “Marine transportation in the Black Sea region is seeing rapid development, creating demand for bunkering services. The further development of our assets in the Black Sea will allow us to realise the full potential of this market, while strengthening the company’s position within it.”