Saras to construct new bunkering terminal

Italy-based Saras is constructing a ship-refuelling terminal at its Sardinia plant and will market a new, cleaner marine fuel ahead of a major regulatory change in 2020, its Chief Executive told Reuters.

Refineries around the world have been gearing up for the switch by reducing output of high-sulphur fuel and upgrading plants to maximise production of the cleaner, more expensive fuel, which is similar to diesel.

Saras is investing in infrastructure that will allow ships to dock outside its 300,000-barrels-per-day Sarroch refinery in Sardinia to directly load ultra-low-sulphur marine fuel oil (ULSFO), in what is known as bunkering, CEO Dario Scaffardi told Reuters.

“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,” he said.

“With a small investment, we will have bunkering infrastructure and a lightering vessel and start selling locally fuels to expand the market.”

The plant will initially produce 500,000 to 600,000 tonnes of ULSFO per year.

For more information visit www.saras.it

13th November 2018