Prista Oil Holding has joined the Sealub Alliance network of marine lubricant suppliers formed last year by Gulf Oil Marine, expanding the networks coverage to more than 700 ports in 50 countries.
Prista, headquartered in Sofia, Bulgaria, will have exclusive rights to produce and supply Sealub Alliance marine lubricant products and services in Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania and Turkey.
This marine partnership with Prista Oil in the strategic area of the Black Sea, combined with our other partnership with Transoil for Russia and Ukraine, is offering Sealub Alliance customers a unique geographical coverage, said Caroline Huot, CEO and managing director of Gulf Oil Marine in Hong Kong. It is definitely for Gulf Oil Marine and Sealub Alliance a major step ahead in our long-term supply strategy to serve the shipping industry.
Prista Oil Holdings stepping into partner association with Sealub Alliance is probably one of the most strategic moves made by our company, said Plamen Bobokov, chairman of the companys board of directors. We believe in Sealub Alliances conception, and well put effort and energy into the Alliances progress … I am certain that this is the choice that most ship owners around the world will be making.
The Sealub Alliance now projects that it will expand its network to 1,000 ports by the end of 2009.
The global marine lubricants market totals about 2.6 million metric tons a year, Steve Ames of SBA Consulting, Pepper Pike, Ohio, told Lube Report earlier this year. A critical barrier to entry into the market is the ability to supply globally. Historically, only five major oil companies – BP, ExxonMobil, Shell, Chevron and Total in decreasing order of volume – have dominated the marine lubricants industry, Ames said.
Gulf Oil Marine, formed in July 2008, launched the Sealub Alliance last year. The addition of Aegean Marine Petroleum Network in early 2009 increased the groups coverage to more than 450 ports.