NEWS
The Prax Group acquires Total oil terminal
The Prax Group has worked closely with Total Belgium over the last few months to ensure the smooth acquisition of the Total Zeebrugge Depot in Belgium . The facility will be re-branded as Prax Terminals Belgium , with Harvest Energy Marine managing all bunkering and commercial operations performed at the terminal .
With a 20,000 cubic metre capacity , the Prax Group will use the terminal for the storage of marine bunker fuels . Its strategic location in the outer port of Zeebrugge means the company can cater for many customers throughout North West Europe , including car carriers , cruise ships , container lines and RORO vessels , offering ship owners and operators a minimum turnaround time in one of the world ’ s busiest ports . Sanjeev Kumar , CEO Prax Group , said ; “ I am delighted to announce the acquisition of the terminal in the port of Zeebrugge , which reflects our strategic objective to move into a new stage of accelerated investment , growth and development .
“ It is the natural evolution in our progression towards making Harvest Energy Marine a leading player in the global marine market .” Geert Boden , general manager of Harvest Energy Marine , said ; “ The acquisition of the terminal in Zeebrugge means that Harvest Energy Marine is readily able to adapt to the changes in the current bunkering market . We are in a great place to respond to the requirements of our customers , both new and existing , in order to continue to deliver innovative solutions to reduce refuelling times , whilst providing customers with their most important resource .”
Merger completes for Jason Group and Total Synthesis
Following the break-up last year of the Caldo Oils / Total Synthesis partnership , and the tragic passing of Caldo MD Mike Scott , the pandemic then took centre-stage . Behind the scenes though , during lockdown , work was underway for the purchase of the Jason Group by Total Synthesis .
The challenges of Covid-19 slowed the process considerably with the business going into limited production for 6 weeks due to difficulties in getting raw materials and keeping staff safe . Despite this , Bill Stout , group managing director , was delighted to announce recently the successful merger of the operations , following the acquisition of the Jason Group by Total Synthesis Ltd , which was completed in July . Bill comments ; “ Bizarrely , after the first weeks of lockdown , a lot of our markets came back stronger than before . Exports increased and orders for both our personal care and bicycle product ranges increased dramatically . So , we responded . We took on another factory unit , installed a new server , rejigged the website , and at the end of our financial year in August , we were 15 % up on our previous year . Given the utter madness of the times we are living in , that ’ s quite an achievement !
“ We are concentrating on products manufactured in-house , where we have a significant competitive edge . The range of aerosols is huge , and the fuel additives and vehicle service products continue as always . In the coming weeks , we ’ ll be installing an additional filling line for the additives and service chemicals and looking to increase our market share in those areas .”
The new website is : www . thejasongroup . com
Barton Petroleum fits Microlise in fleet upgrade
The Microlise Fleet Performance solution has been deployed by Barton Petroleum to improve safety and driver performance and deliver increased efficiencies across its fleet .
The tracking and utilisation solution will improve the fleet ’ s real-time visibility and routing efficiency , enhance driver and customer communication and support better driving performance and safer , more compliant practices .
Howard Marriott , group transport manager at Barton Petroleum Ltd explains ;
4 Fuel Oil News | November 2020
“ By partnering with Microlise and utilising this integrated solution we are ensuring that we equip our fleet with a best-in-class safety , compliance and fleet management solution that will deliver a quantifiable ROI .
“ We are confident that our investment will introduce an enhanced level of operating performance and efficiency while protecting and supporting our drivers .”
Nadeem Raza , Microlise chief executive officer , added ;
“ Every customer we work with requires a fit-for-purpose solution , and we are delighted to support Barton Petroleum to increase its organisational capability and sustainability .”