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Ostsee Mineralöl-Bunker GmbH (OMB), a subsidiary of the Bomin Group, has today (July 15) announced the expansion of its physical operation in Rostock, Germany.

The company is said to have chartered a new bunker barge on the back of increased demand to implement Emission Control Area(ECA)-compliant solutions for its customers. The development comes as OMB celebrates its 25th year of operations.

The new vessel, MT Oslo-Tank, is a Norwegian-flagged, 850-deadweight-tonne (dwt), 2009-built bunker barge. "To ensure product quality, the barge has advanced storage facilities, allowing for the complete segregation and transportation of three different fuel grades at the same time," Bomin says.

Commenting on the news, Mathias Berndt, Managing Director of OMB, remarked: "Being able to provide flexibility in bunker supply is extremely important to ensure that our customers are getting value for money and that they have an ECA compliant solution that meets the needs of each vessel and route. To achieve this, we have invested in further developing our physical supply infrastructure with the highly versatile "MT Oslo-Tank", in addition to our existing network of trucks, barges and tank terminals."

OMB says it is working with many of its customers to create ECA-compliant solutions tailored to the specific needs of each business and its vessels. This includes the recent signing of bunker supply agreements with two "prominent" - but unnamed - regional cruise operators, based on developing solutions that comprise both distillates, as well as heavy fuel oil (HFO) for exhaust gas cleaning systems.

Jan Christensen, Regional Manager Bomin Group, said: "While the low fuel prices have diluted the impact of the 2015 ECA regulations, it is still critical for ship owners and operators to work in partnership with their fuel suppliers to develop fuel procurement solutions that drive operational, environmental and cost efficiencies. From the perspective of fuel suppliers, it is vital that we not only provide customers with choice to suit their demands, but also quality products, whether it is HFO, distillates or LNG."

Ostsee Mineralöl-Bunker GmbH (OMB) supplies the shipping industry with marine fuels from tank terminals in the German ports of Rostock and Travemünde with a fleet of three barges.

Bomin Group has been active in the bunker business for more than 35 years and is one of the world's leading independent suppliers and traders of marine fuel. The company operates around the globe with more than 300 members of staff in 38 offices worldwide.

Bomin is wholly owned by Mabanaft - the trading division of Marquard & Bahls, a Hamburg-based privately owned company that operates in the fields of energy supply, trading and logistics.

Mabanaft's business encompasses the import and wholesale of petroleum products. Furthermore, the company is active in bunker services, service stations, heating oil retail, lubricants and biofuels.