Georgia imported almost 7,000 metric tons of finished lubricants from January through April of this year, up 7% compared to the same period in 2022, according to the country’s Association of Petroleum Products Importers.
The South Caucasus country’s lubricant market traditionally relies solely on imports because of a lack of domestic production.
In the first four months, the largest supplier of finished products to Georgia was Turkey. This country shipped 1,600 tons of lubricants to Georgia, or 23% of the total imports.
Turkey was followed by Iran, which shipped 1,200 tons of lubricants to the country, or 17% of the total. Germany was the next large importer to Georgia that shipped 800 tons, accounting for 12% of the total, followed by Belgium, with 400 tons of products shipped, or 6% of the total imports in the period. The rest came from other countries.
Last year, Georgia imported 22,000 tons of finished lubricants, a 15% increase from 19,000 tons in 2021, according to the association.
Large oil companies that market lubricants in Georgia include Russia’s Lukoil that sells its own petroleum products in the country, domestic oil company Wissol that distributes French oil major TotalEnergies’ lubricants and Gulf Oil, which has its own line of lubricants. Other lubricant brands present in the country are BP’s Castrol and Visco, Shell and ExxonMobil, as well as Germany’s Aral.