HES Wilhelmshaven Tank Terminal GmbH (HWTT) in Germany, a 100% subsidiary of HES International B.V., announces the operational start of the Low Sulphur Fuel Oil (LSFO) production unit. The unit has a nameplate capacity of approximately 2.5 million tons of LSFO per year. This start-up creates a unique LSFO market position in Northwest Europe and enables HWTT and HES International to add the production of more environmentally friendly LSFO to its service proposition to the oil & gas industry.
Due to new regulations of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) as of January 2020, the maximum sulphur content in bunker fuel for vessels is limited to 0.5% instead of the previous 3.5%. This offered HWTT a unique opportunity to revamp operations of its vacuum distillation unit.
Built-in 2004 and operated for only 5 years, the unit was still in good condition and suitable to process a wide range of crude qualities. Upon completion of the revamping works, the LSFO production unit has been extensively commissioned and will now process low sulphur crude oils into LSFO in combination with other valuable rundown products such as gasoil, kerosene, and naphtha.
With the commitment of a world-class energy major, HWTT has found a solid and reliable throughput partner for its operations for the next few years.