Brazil’s Ipiranga aims to expand in marine diesel market

Brazilian fuel distributor Ipiranga is working to increase its share of the local marine diesel market.

The company has doubled its supply potential on the Guanabara Bay, in Rio de Janeiro, with the addition of a barge with capacity to store 2,150m3.

Able to supply 18,000m3 per month, the operation offers more availability, serving vessels on the water. 

The new phase of the maritime operation also allows more than one tanker truck to supply the barge simultaneously, speeding up the loading process. 

Ipiranga already supplies fuel on waters in the south and north of Brazil, at the ports of Paranaguá (Paraná), Itajaí (Santa Catarina), Belém, Itaituba and Santarém (Pará) and Manaus (Amazonas).

In addition, improvements were made to the Ipiranga base that serves the operation, making the infrastructure for loading trucks three times larger and expanding the tankage to 7,000m3. 

The VP of Ipiranga Empresas, José Vianna, says the aim is to achieve what he considers to be a “fair share” of Brazil’s marine diesel market, around 22% or 23% – in line with what happens in the diesel oil market – compared to the current 12%.

This market is mainly concentrated in two regions: in Guanabara Bay, to supply platforms and vessels operating in the oil and gas sector, and in the north, basically Pará and Amazonas, to serve river transportation vessels.

“The oil and gas industry has been growing at a faster rate than the Brazilian economy. And it’s forecast to grow even more strongly in the coming years,” Vianna told BNamericas. 

As for the potential of the northern region, he said a large part of Brazil's agribusiness production is transported via the Arco Norte – a strategic area that covers the ports of the states in the north and northeast regions – by barge. 

“At the moment, our service is by road, except for the river stations. The idea is to start operating with barges as well,” he said.  

Vianna said the company has put in place a contingency plan in the face of the severe drought affecting the northern region, with an increase in stocks and reinforcing the road model.

“For our customers, the market has not been disrupted, nor do we foresee any disruption,” he added. 

DECARBONIZATION

With the decarbonization of the energy matrix in mind, Ipiranga is investing in the sale of R5 diesel, which contains 5% fuel produced from the co-processing of vegetable oils.

“We started with bus companies in Araucária [in Paraná state] and now we're bringing the project to São Paulo. We're going to keep expanding,” said Vianna. 

Another front involves designing more efficient logistics operations to reduce fuel consumption and cut emissions. 

“We're looking at vehicles with greater capacity, making deliveries of larger batches,” he said.