OREANDA-NEWS. March 22, 2012. Gazprom Neft Marine Bunker, operator of Gazprom Neft's bunkering business, has purchased a new bunkering tanker, which will operate at the St Petersburg Grand Port. The ship has been christened Gazpromneft North-West. On March 2, in St Petersburg, the new tanker was visited by Gazprom Neft's CEO Alexander Dyukov and Deputy Transport Minister Viktor Olersky.

The ship was built in 2011 in Tuzla, Turkey. She has an unlimited area of operation and fully meets all international shipping conventions. Gazpromneft North-West has a load capacity of up to 2.5 K tons. The tanker was launched on February 1, 2012. She will be run by Gazpromneft Shipping, which operates the Gazpromneft Marine Bunker’s fleet.

“Gazprom Neft sets itself ambitious goals in all areas, and the bunkering business is no exception. The company's plans include a 20% annual increase in bunker fuel sales, as well as further geographic expansion and consolidation of its positions in existing markets, both at home and abroad. I am confident that the acquisition of this new bunkering tanker will enable the company to gain a stronger foothold on the bunkering market of the North-West region of Russia, where in 2011 the company took a 30% share in the sales of bunker fuel”, stated Alexander Dyukov, Chairman of Gazprom Neft Management Board.