From Novorossiysk to Marmara: How Alkagesta, Litasco and Vitol Built a Shadow Network for Russian Diesel

NaftoRynok’s research performed with analyzing the data on the maritime fuel movement to Turkey showed that Turkish seaports had increased transshipment of Russian oil products by 2.32 million tons, up to 7.35 million tons (+46%) in 2022, According to the information on tanker travels, the supply of distillates from Russian ports has increased the most in terms of volume: ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) - by 0.56 thousand tons to 3.09 million tons (+22%), diesel (Gasoil) - by 0. 69 million tons (compared to one delivery of 4-30 thousand tons per year in 2019-2021).

Marmara is the largest Turkish port for ULSD and gas oil transshipment from various countries - 3.71 million tons. The port received 32% of diesel from the Russian Federation, almost 49% from India, and up to 13% from Greece and Italy. Marmara is the second largest Turkish hub for transshipment of Russian diesel in 2022 - 1.18 million tons (+56.5% before 2021). In particular, OPET TERMINAL transshipment accounts for 0.77 million tons of ULSD, which is four times bigger than the volume of deliveries from Russian ports in 2021. It was this terminal where 12 traders first started working with the terrorist country’s diesel in 2033 (see table).

Receivers of Russian diesel at Opet Terminal in Marmara (Turkey), thousand tons

The Tupras terminal in Izmit is the largest terminal in terms of transshipment of diesel tankers from Russia. In 2022, diesel shipments from Russian ports increased by more than three times for this basis - from 0.38 to 1.25 million tons. Almost 78% of the product arrived here from Russian ports. The trader, which supplied 27% of diesel in 2022 - 225,000 tons of gas oil and 116,000 tons of ULSD on this basis turned out to be the largest supplier of Russian product to the Tupras terminal. Another 0.31 million tons were shipped at the Tupras terminal in Aliaga.

It will be recalled that in the second half of 2021, Blackstone Trading Limited (Singapore), owned by - UAE resident Tahir Garaev, tried to restore the supply of Rosneft’s diesel through the Samara - Western Direction pipeline. Nurlan Sultanov, the authorized representative of Blackstone Trading Limited in Ukraine, addressed the operator of the already arrested “Medvedchuk Pipe”, with the documents that testified “so-called” acquisition of a technological volume of 134 thousand tons of diesel from the previous owner – Proton Energy Group S.A. (Nisan Moiseyev); they proposed to restore supplies to Ukraine, otherwise – they demanded to carry out the pumping thereof to Hungary.

Taking into account the shipments to other ports of Turkey in 2022, increased the volumes from Russia from 85,000 tons to 452,000 tons; 60% of these volumes came from the port of Novorossiysk.

As a result, only Lukoil’s trading company LITASCO provided more tanker deliveries than Coral in 2022 - 1.04 million tons. At the same time, the Georgian Petrocas Energy Group trader is the third largest trader for tanker deliveries - 379 thousand tons; and it is also not far from the Russian oil giants. In May 2022, the Company announced that the managing partner and founder of the group, Vano Nakaidze, had bought 49% of the shares of Petrocas Energy Group, which previously belonged to Rosneft. The press release reminds that in December 2014, Petrocas Energy Group and the Rosneft created a joint venture, in which Rosneft had a 49% minority stake.

Besides, the largest suppliers of Russian diesel include PETRACO, VITOL, GMS TRADING, SPG TRADING, ALKAGESTA. Only VITOL supplied the Russian product last year, but it also increased its volume from 155,000 tons to 285,000 tons.

According to NaftoRynok, Ukraine received 387.4 thousand tons of diesel from Turkey in 2022. Judging from the results of the year, Turkish OPET PETROLCULUK turned out to be the largest shipper; Evrostandart was the largest importer in Ukraine.