Gazpromneft-Bitumen Materials, operator of the Gazprom Neft bitumens business, has made its first shipment of high-technology products by specialist sea transport — the initial consignment, comprising 3,100 tonnes of road bitumens, having been transported from St Petersburg to Norway on the “Elizabeth-J” bitumen tanker.

A unique scheme has been developed — involving two logistical elements — to ensure bitumen materials are supplied with all quality standards and characteristics fully intact. In the first phase, binders are transported by road — in a liquid state — from the Gazprom Neft Moscow Refinery to the Port of St Petersburg and, thereafter, delivered by bitumen-tankers via the Baltic Sea to the countries of Scandinavia, in insulated bitumen containers.

“Gazprom Neft is deploying effective solutions in developing its own logistics network for shipping finished products to clients, both in Russia and abroad. Integrated use of road transport, Clovetainers^® and bulk ocean-going tankers mean we can devise the most optimum delivery routes and guarantee high bitumen quality, regardless of seasonality or distance.”

Dmitry Orlov Director General, Gazpromneft-Bitumen Materials

The production of road bitumens with high export potential and meeting international standards is handled at the major bitumens facility at the Gazprom Neft Omsk Refinery, the largest in Russia and Europe. Planned works at the bitumen production facility have made it possible to increase production by 35% in Q1 2020.

“The Moscow Refinery’s modernisation programme, together with the systematic deployment of new technologies, means we can achieve high production efficiency and respond flexibly to market demand. This is true of all the business’s process chains, including at what is the most significant — and most cutting-edge — bitumens production facility in Russia: the Moscow Refinery’s bitumens plant.”

Vitaly Zuber Director General, Gazprom Neft Moscow Refinery