Kazakh Refinery Seeks New Horizons For Marine Fuel In Caspian Region (Exclusive)

(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU. Azerbaijan. May 14. Kazakh marine fuel may strengthen its position in the Caspian regional market, Timur Batrymbetov, CEO of the Aktobe Refinery, told Trend in an exclusive interview.

Timur Batrymbetov noted that the refinery processes up to 300,000 tons of oil annually, producing high-quality fuel oil and marine fuel. The primary feedstock comes from the Aktobe, Atyrau, and Mangystau regions of Kazakhstan.

"Our fuel oil is already well known on the Azerbaijani market and is considered a premium product thanks to its low sulfur content (up to 0.5 percent) and freezing point of minus 35 degrees Celsius. We are currently looking for new sales markets for our marine fuel and plan to offer it to local bunkering companies in the Caspian region," he said.

According to him, marine fuel was previously supplied to Russia and Kyrgyzstan, but recently these markets have been taken over by cheaper Russian diesel. In light of this, the company is exploring new logistics routes through the port of Aktau, as well as the possibility of cooperation with Azerbaijani terminals.

"The quality of our products allows us to compete with confidence. We hope the government of Kazakhstan will support domestic producers and help expand export opportunities," he added.

He explained that the refinery mainly processes heavy oil from western regions of Kazakhstan, which directly affects the structure of the output.

"When processing heavy oil, the fuel oil yield reaches 70 percent, and the marine fuel about 30 percent. If the feedstock is lighter, naphtha can make up to 50 percent of the volume, while the share of fuel oil and marine fuel drops to 25 percent," Batrymbetov clarified.

The Caspian and Central Asian Oil Trade and Logistics Forum took place in Baku on April 24–25.

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