Turkey’s state-owned gas company Botas plans to start offering LNG bunkering service in the second quarter of 2021. Botas will offer LNG bunkering service from its 4.6 million tons/year Marmara Ereglisi facility near Istanbul. The company is set to wrap up the construction of its bunkering infrastructure. Currently, Socar Marine is the sole LNG bunkering service provider in Turkey. Private Turkish gas firm Egegaz is also reportedly preparing LNG bunkering service from trucks. At this time, demand for LNG bunkering was relatively small in Turkish ports given the number of LNG-fuelled vessels.
However, the use of LNG as a marine fuel is expected to grow after the implementation of the IMO’s 0.5% sulfur cap on bunker fuels. Turkey will face competition from other bunkering hubs in the Mediterranean such as Italy, Greece, and Egypt. The bunker market in Turkey is among the largest in the region with annual sales reaching around 2.5 million-3 million tons. Data from energy regulator EPDK showed bunker sales in Turkish ports grew by more than 10% month-on-month to 213,000 tons in August.
