Eric Watkins
OGJ Oil Diplomacy Editor
LOS ANGELES, Mar. 30 -- Netherlands-based EasEur Holding, owner of Moldova's sole oil products import terminal, expects shipments through the facility at Giurgiulesti to double to 30,000 tonnes this year from the 14,899 tonnes shipped in 2008.
EasEur Vice-President Thomas Moser expressed satisfaction with development of the terminal's operations this year. He said the firm has invested $27 million in the terminal, which became operational in August, yielding eight tanks with a combined storage capacity of 63,600 tonnes.
Moser said EasEur Holdings expects a number of storage tanks at the facility to be leased out to international oil trading companies in the coming months.
The terminal's first incoming shipment last August was comprised of 4,000 tonnes of Euro diesel from the Motor Oil Hellas refinery in Greece.
All products shipped by the terminal in 2008 were delivered to EasEur Holding's 23 filling stations in Moldova, according to the economy ministry, which said that EasEur Holding plans to build a total of 50 filling stations in the country.
Construction of the terminal was launched in 2006 by Azpetrol SRL, Azpetrol Refinery SRL, and Azertrans SRL— the three Moldovan subsidiaries of Azeri oil company Azpetrol.
In June 2006 EasEur Holding, a subsidiary of Eastern Capital NV, acquired the three Azpetrol subsidiaries and renamed them Bemol Retail, Bemol Refinery, and Danube Logistics.
Earlier this month, Moldova energy regulator ANRE said the country's imports of oil products, including diesel fuel and gasoline, last year rose by 3.4% to 565,000 tonnes and by value increased by 45.4% to $531.5 million.
Imports of diesel fuel rose by 5.2% to 350,000 tonnes/year, while the volume of gasoline imports rose by 0.7% to 215,200 tonnes/year, ANRE said. It said Moldova's LPG imports, which were not included in the overall import figures, grew by 19% in 2008 to 60,100 tonnes.
Contact Eric Watkins at [email protected].