Business Forum • 14 March, 2024 at 1:17 PM
Midia Marine Terminal (MMT), a member company of the KMG International Group (Rompetrol), exceeded the threshold of 700 vessels operated at the offshore marine terminal, located 8.6 km off the Black Sea. The only capacity of this kind in Romania has recently completed 15 years since the first crude oil vessel was unloaded for the Petromidia refinery, KMG International's most important asset in the region.
“The Petromidia refinery had a stable flow of raw materials, with the support of all the professionals in the company, who ensured that the offshore terminal operated in the best conditions of safety and efficiency. On the solid foundation built, we managed to support logistical and operational activities, in line with the Group's general strategy”, said Ioan Taus, General Manager of Midia Marine Terminal.
The 700+ vessels unloaded a total volume of about 60.2 million tons of crude oil, intended exclusively to supply the largest refinery in Romania. In 2023, 4.37 million tons of crude oil were unloaded from 53 vessels at the terminal.
The crude oil brought in between 2009 and 2024 was mainly of Kazakh origin, as a result of the constant efforts made by the trading division of KMG International (Rompetrol). Incidentally, ship number 700 unloaded 80,000 tons of Kazakh KEBCO (Kazakh Export Blend Crude Oil), an assortment with increasing demand in the European Union.
The Single Point Mooring terminal was built with an investment effort of $102 million and has a capacity of 16 million tons/year, with a maximum unloading rate of 7,000 m3/h.
The equipment installed on the terminal is powered by a solar and wind system. Also, several sensors that measure weather conditions, including sea conditions (waves and currents), provide real-time information, based on which decisions are made regarding the mooring or unmooring of ships to/from the terminal.
Last year, with an investment of about $4.3 million, the terminal underwent a turnaround program that involved changing all floating and submerged hoses. Most of the equipment has a lifespan of 8 years, but those that are subjected to an increased level of mechanical stress are replaced every two years.
The parts replaced last year were manufactured in Japan, by one of the most prestigious companies in the field. Through the works completed in 2023, the company fulfills its commitment to operate without interruptions, in the best environmental protection conditions.
Midia Marine Terminal has in its portfolio all the facilities related to the logistics of Petromidia platform. Through a pipeline system of over 10,000 meters (8,600 meters underwater and 1,500 meters on land), the crude oil is transferred directly to the 390,000 m3 capacity tank farm, also operated by Midia Marine Terminal.
The company also manages the oil product loading ramps, both from the Petromidia Navodari refinery (9 rail and road terminals) and from the Vega Ploiesti refinery (6 rail and road terminals).
Midia Marine Terminal has almost 250 employees, 48 of whom are specialized in operating the offshore terminal. More than 30 people are assigned to the onshore operations, carried out in the Midia Port, where MMT unloads and loads smaller vessels.
The largest share of MMT employees is in the Petromidia refinery, with over 100 people involved in the management of the loading/unloading ramps.