Corporate profile – falzon

San Lucian Oil Company
booSts Malta as a leading
Bunkering hub in the Mediterranean

 

Mr. Joseph Falzon

The Falzon Group for the past six years enhanced its range of services to the international shipping industry through the take over of the San Lucian Oil Terminal in Malta.

San Lucian Oil Terminal has a modern state of the art 50,000 cbm petroleum products storage terminal located within Marsaxlokk harbour as well as a strong six bunker vessel fleet, and is able to supply gas oil, as well as a full range of fuel oil and marine lubricating oils to ships calling at the Mediterranean crossroads of Malta. The San Lucian Oil Company latest figures show that it is growing at a rapid rate recording its highest ever bunker sales in 2007 with 540,000 MT supplied - an increase of 30% from the previous year.

“This success has been the result of the quality and dedication of personnel and high customer standards with a strong focus on quality control,” says Joseph Falzon, Falzon Group CEO. With over 30 years of experience in the bunkering business, the Falzon Group’s expertise dates back to the island’s early bunkering days. The Falzon Group began operating in the 1950s and is today a respected player in the international bunkering industry, offering services across the whole spectrum of ship requirements including the collection of waste oils from vessels and debunkering services.

Since the liberalisation of the Maltese bunkering market in 1996, the San Lucian Oil Company has emerged as one of Malta’s biggest and most successful bunkering companies. Following Malta’s entry into the European Union in 2004, the government is undertaking a liberalisation programme which will extend to the entire petroleum market, which Mr Falzon believes will enable the Falzon Group to move and expand its customer base to include the provision of petroleum products and services to land based businesses.

However, for the time being it is servicing the many international merchant vessels calling at Valletta and Marsaxlokk which form the core of San Lucian Oil Company’s business. Strategically located at the centre of the Mediterranean Sea, linking Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, Malta’s geographical position has made it a natural Mediterranean hub point for many centuries. Malta’s coastline features natural harbours as well as an established port which has for long been a popular stop for ships requiring ship repair as well as bunkering services. The island is today home to a growing number of maritime service providers.

The continued growth in the number of vessels calling at Valletta’s cruise terminal and the ongoing development of Marsaxlokk harbour as a leading transhipment hub port has been welcomed by the Falzon Group. With strong competition and a wide range of bunker supply companies to choose from, why should a shipping company deal with San Lucian Oil?

“Quite simply, we handle everything from trading to delivery and provide various grades of quality bunker fuels at highly competitive prices,” says Mr Falzon. “Our products are sourced directly from refineries and major oil suppliers. We can offer a traffic free service to five offshore bunkering areas spread around the island as well as direct terminal connections. Thanks to our integrated trading, delivery and planning methodology, our barges can be loaded with the requested fuel grades and quantities in a very short period of time.”

He adds: “We’ve also recently introduced a team of analysts within our company dedicated to running quality control at both the terminal and on board our fleet of barges. Our customers can rest assured that we meet not only the regulatory, but just as importantly their own requirements.”

The company owns a fleet of six vessels with a total capacity on water of 9,000cbm fuel oil grades and 3,200cbm of marine gas oil. The fleet’s pumping rates vary from 500 to 1000 cbm/hour and the vessels carry latest equipment according to MARPOL regulations and anti pollution measures. Indeed, one of the company’s barges is currently in active service with the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) as an on-call oil-spill response vessel for the East Mediterranean. According to Mr Falzon, all his company’s vessels are manned by qualified, professional seafarers with long industry experience.

“We understand the meaning of relationships based on trust and repeat business,” says Mr Falzon. “We run a one stop shop in which all activities from the first contact with the customer through to delivery are co-ordinated in such a way as to guarantee 100% satisfaction.”

San Lucian Oil Company Limited
Member of the Falzon Group of Companies
Address: Triq il-Qajjenza, Birzebbugia. Malta
Tel: +356 21 654654
Fax: +356 21 654652
Email: info@falzongroup.com
Web: www.falzongroup.com
CEO: Mr. Joseph Falzon