Blockage in the Port of Constanța? Three ships supplying fuel to vessels belong to Russian companies
Of the four ships supplying fuel to vessels in the Port of Constanța, three are owned by Russian companies. One of these companies is part of the Gazprom Neft group, which is under sanctions from the EU and the US.
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Gazprom Neft is listed among the companies sanctioned by Western states on March 15, yet imports of oil from the Russian giant and the bunkering activities (supplying fuel to ships) have not been prohibited so far.
Russians hold a monopoly in the port
According to the National Company Administration of Maritime Ports Constanța, nine companies operating in the port are licensed for bunkering services, and they use four ships authorized to transport fuel for vessels in the Port of Constanța.
Three of these four ships are owned by Russian companies:
Bellona – owned by Lukoil Marine Bunker;
Deltaoil – owned by Balkan Marine Bunker Assets;
Unicom 3 – Gazpromneft Marine Bunker Balkan S.A
The fuel supply activity for vessels in the Port of Constanța could be affected, as Russian companies hold almost complete monopoly over bunkering ships, and the new EU sanctions also target the prohibition of Russian oil imports by sea.
Sources cited by Info Sud-Est stated that in the absence of available bunkering vessels, waiting times for fueling ships would increase significantly, leading to port blockages and major delays in transport.
Under the law, the Romanian state cannot intervene to ensure bunkering activities, since the ship fueling services market is private.
Nearly 3,000 vessels have been fueled in the Port of Constanța in the last five years. In 2021, 614 ships were fueled, and this year, up to April 30, 155 ships were supplied, according to data from the Constanța Border Customs Office.
Who handles bunkering in the Port of Constanța
Three of the four bunkering ships operating in Constanța belong to Russian companies.
Lukoil Marine Bunker is a company registered in Moscow, according to information from the Russian Federal Tax Service, and is part of the Russian giant Lukoil.
Balkan Marine Bunker Assets is part of GPN Foreign Assets Management, a company registered in St. Petersburg at the same address as GPN Project LTD, a company that also holds shares in Gazpromneft Marine Bunker Balkan.
Gazpromneft Marine Bunker Balkan S.A. is owned by Gazpromneft Marine Bunker (99.9%) and GPN Project LTD (0.01%), both registered in St. Petersburg.
The fuel sold by Gazprom Neft is produced at the company’s refineries in Moscow and Omsk.
Ministry of Transport: bunkering is carried out safely
Currently, in the Port of Constanța, of the three barges licensed to provide bunkering services to ships, only two are still operating. The third barge ceased operations when the embargo on Russian ships was imposed, the Ministry of Transport announced in a statement on Tuesday.
“The two barges can supply vessels with fuel in the Constanța port roadstead (outside the port),” the statement said.
At present, nine companies in the Port of Constanța are licensed to supply fuel and oil to ships. “Licensed companies can refuel ships at the quay using tankers with diesel fuel, and Oil Terminal can supply through pipelines and with fuel oil. Given that the Port of Constanța is not a key refueling hub on vessel routes, we believe there will be no blockages in this regard. A major refueling hub (such as the ports of Istanbul in Turkey or Piraeus in Greece) supplies dozens or hundreds of ships daily, while in the Port of Constanța we refer to about 600 ships per year,” ministry representatives said.
In the context of the new sanctions adopted by EU states earlier this week, the representatives of the National Company Administration of Maritime Ports S.A. Constanța state that fueling of vessels in the Port of Constanța will not be affected and will continue to operate under optimal conditions.
Vasile Dîncu: “Probably just a matter of time”
Defense Minister Vasile Dîncu said that Romania fully complies with the procedures decided at the European level regarding Russian investments, noting that the situation in the Port of Constanța will be resolved and that it is only a matter of time.
When asked on Tuesday in Constanța about the fact that three of the four ships supplying vessels in the port belong to Russian companies, Dîncu said:
“This is not a topic I know about at this moment; I am not responsible for the Ministry of Transport. I hope measures are taken according to European decisions regarding how we relate to Russian investments across Europe. I believe there are procedures to eliminate such dependence and to hinder Russian capital from generating profits in Europe. This is happening according to such procedures.”
“Romania fully respects these procedures, and probably it is just a matter of time, if this still exists. You have seen that dependence on gas and oil cannot be eliminated instantly; this is a program set by the European Union, and we respect it well because we have very few Russian investments that could be subject to embargo,” the defense minister added.
The most important port on the Black Sea
Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, on February 24, and after the blockade imposed by Moscow on Ukrainian ports, the Port of Constanța has become a strategic point on the Black Sea, serving as an important hub for Ukrainian grain exports.
More than 240,000 tons of grain from Ukraine have been exported through the Port of Constanța since the beginning of the war, Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu announced at the UN Security Council in New York.
In April, Transport Minister Sorin Grindeanu announced that “The Port of Constanța has become the most important port on the Black Sea.”
The government allocated 200 million lei in April for the operationalization of railway transport infrastructure at the Port of Constanța, aiming to rapidly increase the port’s handling capacity. In July and August, new grain harvests from Romania are expected, and port traffic will reach its peak.
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