Image credit: Arkas Bunkering

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Turkish supplier Arkas Bunkering confirmed on Thursday that it managed to increase its sales volume by more than a third last year.

Deliveries of marine fuel rose by 236,000 tonnes, or 37 percent, to 875,000 tonnes in 2017, up from 639,000 tonnes the previous year, Arkas told Bunker Index.

A summary of the company's annual bunker sales since 2014 has been provided below, which shows how volumes have very nearly doubled in the space of three years.

Year	Sales(mt)	+/-(mt)	+/-(%)
2017	875,000	+236,000	36.9
2016	639,000	-38,001	-5.6
2015	677,001	+233,932	52.8
2014	443,069	---	---

According to data previously provided by Turkey's Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EMRA), in 2015 and 2016 Arkas recorded the country's highest bunker fuel sales figures.

Arkas was keen to stress on Thursday that the growth it achieved in 2017 was "more than two times the sector average" in a comparison with the performance of other companies in the market.

As reported last year, Arkas expanded its fleet to seven in 2017 with the addition of the tankers M/T Alacati and M/T Bayrakli, with Arkas claiming that the Bayrakli was "the largest fuel oil bunker tanker in Turkey".

As a result of the additions, the company boosted its carrying capacity by 16 percent and the total capacity the supplier's vessels is now 18,888 dwt.

"Having one of the largest barge and youngest bunkering fleet[s] in Turkey with the average bunker age of eight, the company continues to serve its customers with its expert team, quality bunker fuel and competitive prices without compromising the trust associated with the name Arkas," the supplier said on Thursday.

Arkas operates from the Solventas Terminal in Kocaeli and also from a second terminal in Eregli, located at the opposite side of the Marmara Sea.