4 January 2010
ARA: sighs of relief from European oil-storage operators
Some sectors of the independent oil-storage business at the big ARA ports have felt the effects of the world's economic troubles, but structural changes have helped to maintain utilisation rates, Martin Quinlan writes
INDEPENDENT storage operators in the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) area have been keen to shift their user-base from trading operations to supply chain logistics. The aim has been to avoid the boom-and-bust swings of the trade pendulum, while linking-in to growth in refined products demand. Last year's falls in demand for oil products in the world's largest economies have, accordingly, brought testing conditions to some parts of the business – although, overall, the statistics say that volumes moving through ARA have increased. Demand for tank-space has also been lifted by strong contangoes (futures prices higher than prompt prices) in refined products, which have given supply chain u
Also in this section
23 April 2026
The addition of an oil pipeline to the Power of Siberia 2 gas project could ensure deliveries of Russian oil to China, materially shorten logistics lines between West Siberia and final customers, and—amid disruption in the Strait of Hormuz—offer a land-based export route that reduces exposure to maritime chokepoints
23 April 2026
There is a clear push to bolster exports to Asia amid uncertainty around its North American neighbour, but there are limits to the benefits from the energy crisis
23 April 2026
Shell made the play-opening discovery in Namibia’s Orange basin back in 2022, but its next well could decide whether the project can actually be commercialised
22 April 2026
The failure of OMV Petrom’s keenly watched exploration campaign at Bulgaria’s Han Asparuh block highlights the Black Sea’s uneven track record, despite major successes like Neptun Deep and Sakarya
