Ecoslops produces first marine fuel products at Port of Sinès refinery

24th November 2015
ECOSLOPS PRODUCES FIRST MARINE FUEL PRODUCTS AT PORT OF SINÈS REFINERY
First marine fuels produced from slops as company accelerates industrial production, and
develops infrastructure, including key appointments, to facilitate ambitious growth plans
Ecoslops, the first company to develop technology to produce recycled marine fuels from marine
oil residues (‘slops’), has announced that its refinery in the Port of Sinès, Portugal, has
commenced industrial production and delivered the first volume of marine fuel products compliant
with ISO8217, validating the company’s commercial proposition. Ecoslops has also made two
senior appointments, further developing its global infrastructure, including new facilities, in order
to meet its ambitious growth objectives.
In Q3 2015, 3,200 tonnes of slops were imported from Northern Europe, in conjunction with slops
collected in the Port, mainly at the oil terminal and from MSC, the leading global container
shipping company. 1,400 tonnes of fuel products have subsequently been produced for the
marine market, comprising distillates (MDO) and heavy fuel oil (IFO); and light bitumen for the
roofing and isolation markets. This development validates the company’s value proposition, with
98% of slops being recycled for commercial use.
“This is a landmark moment for Ecoslops, as we prove the commercial and sustainable viability of
creating marine fuel products from slops,” said Vincent Favier, CEO, Ecoslops.
“In the current climate, waste collectors are finding it increasingly difficult to sell unprocessed
slops and many ports do not have sufficient collection or storage infrastructure. For ship owners
and operators, it is highly cost-effective, efficient and sustainable to be able to take a waste
product, for which the disposal is strictly regulated, and turn it into a reusable marine fuel. Our
focus now is on accelerating production at the Port of Sinès by collecting more slops locally and
through import, as well as further developing our global infrastructure to capitalise on the
opportunities within the global slops market.”
As part of this development, Ecoslops has strengthened its senior team with the appointments of
Pascal Bonfils as Group Industrial Director and Pedro Simões as General Manager of the
company’s Portuguese subsidiary in Sinès. Both have substantial experience of working in the
energy, industrial and petrochemical markets and will play important roles in the ongoing
development of the company. In conjunction with this, Ecoslops is also continuing its work in
developing its facilities in the Ivory Coast, as well as looking at other opportunities in the
Mediterranean and the North of Europe. This follows the company’s ambition to bring on line
three more facilities by 2017.
Ecoslops has developed an innovative technology to recycle marine hydrocarbon waste, founded
on a combination of processes, technologies and in-depth refining knowledge from the
petrochemical sector. The company collects slops from waste collectors and ports, as well as
directly from ship owners and operators. The hydrocarbons are then pre-treated by decantation
and centrifugation before being processed into a vacuum distillation column and recycled into
marine fuels and light bitumen. The water produced is decontaminated in a treatment plant before
being returned to the natural environment. Ecoslops’ treatment unit in the Port of Sinès has the
capacity to produce 30,000 tonnes of recycled fuel every year.
Ecoslops’ refinery in the Port of Sinès, Portugal
-endsNotes to the editor:
About Ecoslops
About ECOSLOPS (http://www.ecoslops.com): ECOSLOPS has developed a unique technology to
transform oil residues from shipping (slops and sludge) into new recycled marine fuels. The Company’s
ambition is to establish itself as major player in the treatment of marine hydrocarbon waste. The
ECOSLOPS solution is based on a perfect knowledge of the processes of collection, treatment and recycling
of slops and sludges. ECOSLOPS offers an economic and ecologic solution to port infrastructure, waste
collectors and ship owners through industrial scale treatment unit they develop and operate. The first
industrial unit is based in Sinès in Portugal.
ECOSLOPS is a public listed company on Alternext in Paris (ISIN: FR0011490648; Ticker: ALESA).
For further information, please contact:
Nick Blythe
BLUE
T: + 44 (0) 7917 138 723
E: [email protected]