Rompetrol Rafinare, a new LPG terminal in Midia port

Rompetrol Rafinare, a company member of the Rompetrol Group, has recently completed his construction of a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) terminal in Midia port, the total value of the investment reaching approximately USD 3.8 million.

“The terminal is part of The Rompetrol Group’s strategy to increase the import-export capacity of Petromidia platform, the project adding to the investments completed in 2008: - the enhancement by 350% of the transfer capacity through the Midia port for the delivery of finished products and the completion of the marine terminal off the Black Sea’s shore for crude oil discharge. The new investment shall ensure a reduction by more than 20% of the costs related to LPG import-export activities, but also of the delivery time and, therefore, of the number of operations” declares Arman Kairdenov, the general manager of Rompetrol Rafinare.

Located in the oil and liquefied gas terminal in Berth 9 of Midia port - owned by Rompetrol Rafinare, the new investment has a maximum capacity of approximately 3,000 tons/transport, being directly connected to two of the LPG tanks of the refinery (approximately 3,600 cubic meters). The works performed by the company for the upgrade of the berth allowed both the enhancement by 350% of the capacity of transfer of finished products (from 90,000 tons/month to 310,000 tons/month), and the mooring of marine vessels of a maximum capacity of 10,000 tdw and of tank barges of maximum 2,000 tdw.

“It will be operated by Midia Marine Terminal and will support The Rompetrol Group’s objectives to develop the LPG distribution network (for both household use and vehicle use LPG) in Romania and the Republic of Moldova” added Kairdenov.

The works related to the new investment lasted nearly 14 months and were performed by Rominserv – the Group’s general contractor, a company which also coordinated, during September 20 and November 1, the general maintenance works in Rompetrol Rafinare and Rompetrol Petrochemicals.

In the context of the planned maintenance shutdown of activities on Petromidia platform, Rompetrol Rafinare registered a decrease of the liquefied petroleum gas production during the first nine months of the year by approximately 5% as compared to the similar period in 2009, up to a level of more than 187,000 tons.

In the first nine months of the year, LPG exports of Rompetrol Rafinare, performed through its subsidiary - Rompetrol Gas, were in excess of USD 39.3 million, which represents an increase as compared to the USD 19.6 million in the similar period of 2009. The total value of exports by Rompetrol Rafinare, together with Rompetrol Petrochemicals and Rompetrol Gas, reached more than USD 774 million during the first nine months of this year, which represents an increase by 10% as compared to January – September 2009.

At this moment, Rompetrol gas has three bottling stations, in Navodari, Arad and Bacau (with an annual bottling capacity of 60.000 tons of LPG and a storage capacity 3.500 cubic meters), over 260 skids and over 6.000 points of sale for cylinders. The company is present in the Republic of Moldova, where it operates a network of auto LPG distribution points, LPG cylinder points of sale, a bottling station, as well as storage capacities at Ungheni (for the imports coming from West) and Tirnova (for Eastern imports).

Rompetrol Refining owns Rompetrol Rafinare S.A. (the Petromidia and Vega refineries), Rompetrol Petrochemicals, Rom Oil, Rompetrol Downstream, as well as Rompetrol Logistics and its subsidiary, Rompetrol Gas.