OREANDA-NEWS. Refiner Motiva will form an in-house products trading desk at the beginning of next year following the expiration of a contract with Shell Trading US Company (Stusco).

The Shell and Saudi Aramco joint venture plans to hire 35 workers and launch the refinery products and intermediates desk on 1 January. A contract with Stusco expires 31 December.

Most refiners operate their own trading and marketing operations. Motiva started to take responsibility for some of its own trading late last year, taking over term contracts for gasoline and diesel products.

"This is a natural progression of our business as we seek to connect more closely with the market through direct relationships with customers and counterparties," Motiva vice president Todd Fredin said in a statement.