EUR 3mln Investment for a New Low Sulphur Marine Fuel
OMV Petrom developed at Petrobrazi refinery a new marine fuel oil that supports the shipping industry in reducing sulphur emissions.
OMV Petrom, the largest energy company in South-Eastern Europe, developed at the Petrobrazi refinery a new marine fuel oil with low sulphur content of up to 0.5%. This product is unique to the Romanian market. The fuel allows shippers to reduce sulphur emissions and to be compliant with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) 2020 regulations. The first delivery took place in Port Constanta, at the end of the last year.
The process of obtaining low sulphur marine fuel oil was possible with a EUR 3 million investment in the production logistics facilities at the Petrobrazi refinery. The implementation of the project took almost two years. By the end of last year, shipping carriers used heavy fuel oil with a sulphur content of 3.5%. The new marine fuel oil obtained at the Petrobrazi refinery has only up to 0.5% sulphur content, in line with the IMO global sulphur limit applicable to the shipping industry starting from this year.
Up until the launch of this product, the Romanian market was supplied exclusively by import. From now on, at Petrobrazi refinery, at least 70Kt of marine fuel oil with low sulphur content can be produced annually, subject to production optimization to meet demand and maximize value added.
OMV Petrom supports the maritime transport industry with a sustainable solution, both economically, as well as from the perspective of environmental protection. According to IMO, by limiting the sulphur content in ships’ fuel oil to 0.5%, an annual 77% drop in sulphur emissions can be achieved, which means 8.5 million metric tons of sulphur per year globally. This has a positive impact on the quality of life in the communities of the port and coastal cities.
According to European Commission data, 90% of the European Union’s external trade in goods is maritime and over 400 million passengers transit trough the European ports, annually.
