Gulf Bunkering Gulf Bunkering expands towards North Sea Port

All photos courtesy of Gulf Bunkering.

Zeeland Bunkering, with terminals in North Sea Port’s Terneuzen and Vlissingen port areas, has been taken over by Gulf Bunkering. With this acquisition, the Den Helder based maritime service provider strengthens its position in the southwest region of the Netherlands.

Both Gulf Bunkering and Zeeland Bunkering supply a broad range of fuels and lubricants to seagoing vessels and inland barges. Most of the fuels are supplied using bunker barges and when necessary, for example when vessels are not accessible by bunker barges, trucks are used.

“The acquisition of Zeeland Bunkering enables our organisation to supply the entire Dutch coastline”, explains Jeroen van Essen, Managing Director of Gulf Bunkering. He continues, “The current customers of Zeeland Bunkering can now proft from our range of high quality and sustainable fuels, such as FAME and HVO, and lubricants. This makes the acquisition proftable for both our organisation and the customers of Zeeland Bunkering, as they can choose from a broader portfolio of products.” Gulf Bunkering is part of the FinCo Group, an independent and sustainable fuel supplier that serves a large part of the Northwest European energy market.

Gulf Bunkering already has a strong position in the northern part of the Netherlands. “We have an extensive network of bunker terminals from the Amsterdam port area to Groningen Seaports,” says Mr Van Essen, “and from these terminals we can service an area that ranges from Amsterdam to Emden in Germany. Our large storage facilities, contracts with important players in the ARA-region, and our depot network allow us to be fexible and optimally service all our customers with security of supply. This is of great importance to our customers.” With a strong basis in the north of the Netherlands, Gulf Bunkering was looking for an opportunity to expand its activities towards

the southern part of the country, and the takeover of Zeeland Bunkering offered a perfect solution. Mr Van Essen explains, “In the past years, Gulf Bunkering has built a solid relationship with Zeeland Bunkering. When Zeeland Bunkering’s owner Oliehandel Dekker decided to withdraw from bunkering to focus on the landside supply of fuels and lubricants, this resulted in a great opportunity for us to expand our business towards the North Sea Port region. With the acquisition, we have added four bunker barges and additional storage facilities to our current assets, and we look forward to executing our business in the North Sea Port region!”

“The extension towards the North Sea Port region fts perfectly in the company’s current portfolio of customers”, voices Mr Van Essen. “From an organisational point of view there won’t be a lot of changes, apart from the fact that our staff in Zeeland will be expanded. North Sea Port is a relatively small port and the companies in this port area are aiming at niche markets with their products and services. This matches with our way of working. We do not intend to compete with the large bunker companies. Although we have a widespread network, we still aim for niche markets with a specialised range of high-quality and sustainable products. That is how we make a difference.” The FinCo Group was established in April 2013 and consists of a widespread network of companies. Gulf Bunkering became part of the FinCo Group in 2016. “Being part of the FinCo Group means that we are looking towards a more sustainable and cleaner future”, Mr Van Essen explains. “The energy transition in the maritime sector will not go as fast as on the road. This means that fossil fuels will still be leading in the upcoming years. However, it is without a doubt that the share of renewable fuels, lubricants, and additives will grow. Being part of the FinCo Group means that we are a frontrunner when it comes to the distribution and supply of sustainable fuels and supporting our customers in their sustainability journey. To provide sustainable products of great quality, we are in constant dialogue with our customers. As a result, many of our customers already have their barges running on renewable types of diesel. Just like us, when looking at propulsion and the various sources for power supply, our customers have questions about the future. No one exactly knows what will happen. However, there will be companies that will not be able to cope with the challenges that lie ahead of us. We are an organisation that not only talks about sustainability, but also acts accordingly. FinCo continuously invests in raising knowledge and expertise to answer the questions our customers have. Because of our frontrunner position I am convinced that we will not be one of the companies that will not survive and our expansion towards North Sea Port will surely be of added value to reach our goals, both economically and from a sustainable point of view.”