Romania: OVM Petrom launches new low-sulfur marine fuel oil

OMV Petrom developed at Petrobrazi refinery a new marine fuel oil that supports the shipping industry in reducing sulfur emissions, following a 3 million euro investment.

OMV Petrom, the largest energy company in South-Eastern Europe, developed at the Petrobrazi refinery a new marine fuel with low sulfur content of up to 0.5%. This product is unique to the Romanian market, according to the company.

The fuel allows shippers to reduce sulfur emissions and to be compliant with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) 2020 regulations. The first delivery took place in Port Constanța, at the end of the last year.

The process of obtaining low-sulfur 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 oil with a sulfur content of 3.5%.

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 with low sulfur content can be produced annually, subject to production optimization to meet demand and maximize value added.

According to IMO, by limiting the sulfur content in ships’ fuel to 0.5%, an annual 77% drop in sulfur emissions can be achieved, which means 8.5 million metric tons of sulfur per year globally.