January 28, 2016 [Inter Terminals Ltd.] - Inter Terminals is taking a proactive approach to the continuing contango in the oil market with a multi-million Euro investment in large ship handling and oil storage capacity at its Asnaes Oil Terminal (AOT) in the Danish Straits, the third most active channel for oil products in the world.
Dredging and improvement works at AOT’s main oil quay and an adjacent jetty have resulted in deepening the drafts to 11.5m and 14.2m respectively. The jetties are able to accommodate vessels of Aframax and Suezmax up to 180,000 tonnes. To match this new loading/unloading capability two tanks at the Terminal are being recommissioned, providing an additional 40,000 cubic metres of oil storage.
AOT, one of four coastal oil terminals operated by Inter Terminals in Denmark, is capable of storing 430,000 cubic metres of products, with the other terminals located at Ensted, Stigsnaes and Gulfhavn. The AOT complex occupies a strategic position for international movement of fuel oil destined for Europe, Asia and the United States. New developments at Asnaes are part of an upgrade programme at all four Danish terminals in order to provide a comprehensive product and service offering that can be tailored to customers’ requirements. Inter Terminals’ investment includes installation of mixers and blenders in heated fuel oil and vacuum gas oil (VGO) tanks as well as radar-based tank gauging technology to enhance stock management systems.
Inter Terminals’ most recent acquisition in Sweden strengthens the company’s position on the Baltic still further with four terminals totalling 1.2 million cubic metres at the country’s principal ports of Göteborg, Malmö, Södertälje and Gävle. Occupying prime positions that cover both the west coast and Baltic Sea product flows, the terminals provide specialist storage, handling, and distribution for a diverse range of products including fuel oil, diesel, jet fuel, VGO and bitumen. In order to meet growing demand for oil storage in the region, Inter Terminals has been recommissioning tanks at its Swedish facilities as well as in Denmark.
As contango conditions in the oil market continued to strengthen throughout 2015, demand for storage has been outstripping supply says Martyn Lyons, Chief Executive of Inter Terminals Limited. He comments: “Average utilisation rates across our European storage network in the first three quarters of 2015 were 93% compared with 77% for the same period in 2014. Inter Terminals is now the largest bulk liquid storage provider in Scandinavia with comprehensive facilities on both sides of the Danish Straits. Our ongoing investment in this strategically important location means we are ready and able to meet the fast changing needs of the market and our customers.”