Oiltanking carves out Advario

LEAD FROM THE FRONT

STRATEGY • ADVARIO, THE RESULT OF A CARVE-OUT OF OILTANKING’S TERMINAL NETWORK, AIMS TO DOUBLE IN SIZE WHILE BEING A FRONTRUNNER IN DRIVING SUSTAINABILITY AND THE ENERGY TRANSITION

THERE IS A NEW name on the global bulk liquids storage business: Oiltanking has carved out a large slice of its assets into a new company, Advario, with a focus on providing sustainable infrastructure to meet the future needs of the world as it navigates the coming energy transition.

Formation of the new entity is part of Oiltanking’s ‘2025 strategy’ and transformation plan, announced this past November, which included a vision of a new business unit to handle its chemical, gas and new energies portfolio.

“The storage industry has a key role to play to progress the energy transition and partner

TRADING HOUSE MARQUARD & BAHLS HAS

REORGANISED ITS TERMINAL OPERATIONS THE with other players along the value chain to ensure undisrupted, secure access to low carbon energy everywhere in the world. Advario’s strategy is focused on growing its business across three segments; chemicals, gas and increasingly new energies,” the company states.

Rotterdam-based Advario starts life with a global network of 13 former Oiltanking terminals in China, Singapore, UAE, Oman, the US, Belgium and Finland but says it is aiming to double its business by the end of the decade, while also achieving net-zero operations by 2040 at the latest.

“We are convinced that only through highly ambitious ESG standards we will achieve ‘better business’ for our partners, society and ourselves,” says Bas Verkooijen, appointed CEO of Advario. “For me this means that besides ambitiously growing our business, an equally important priority will be to operate our business with the highest care for our people, the communities we work in and the environment we live in.”

Following the move, Oiltanking now operates 16 wholly owned and joint-venture terminals in Latin America, India, Indonesia, South Africa, Denmark and Bulgaria.

BRAINS OF THE BUSINESS It has become clear in recent years – and Advario is well aware of this – that achieving the required systemic change in the energy sector will be complex and will need close collaboration among all players in the industry. Combining capabilities, sharing risks and pursuing opportunities in partnerships will be part of Advario’s business strategy as it develops.

“The tank storage industry has a key role to play in enabling the energy transition as well as supply security,” Verkooijen adds. “Today we are making a bold step forward by launching Advario, our new company that will be focused on growth in petrochemicals, gases and new energies and puts sustainability at the heart of what we do.

“With a team of 1,200 highly committed storage experts, our strategic global network and our long legacy in the industry, we are very well placed to take up a frontrunner role in transforming our industry, together with our partners,” he concludes.

Verkooijen, who was formerly at OMV, is working alongside Douglas van der Wiel, chief growth officer, who was with Oiltanking for more than 20 years. Among his roles there were CEO of the joint venture between Oiltanking and Star Energy in Dubai and president of Oiltanking Asia Pacific. Yvan Tavernier, who joined Oiltanking in 2013, initially as managing director of Oiltanking Stolthaven Antwerp, is COO. Also on the leadership team are Liz Mayhew, senior vice-president, people, who held a similar role at Oiltanking from 2019, and Claas Pinkenburg, senior vice-president, strategy, portfolio and sustainability, who will also lead Advario’s M&A activities. Pinkenburg held the same role at Oiltanking and was previously head of corporate development at Marquard & Bahls, the Hamburg-based parent company of both Oiltanking and Advario. advario.com