ARA: hopes of a soft landing

Economic troubles might trim the demand for oil storage, but terminal operators hope their growing logistical business will ease the pain

OPERATORS of independent oil storage terminals in the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) area are hoping to ride out the economic storm, and their optimism is not just professional. In recent years, their business has grown in response to structural changes in the market for oil products. Speculative trade might dry-up in difficult times, but logistical demand continues. The big ARA operators base their optimism on the growth in world trade for refined products. Regional product imbalances have been increasing, and price arbitrages have opened up to pay for long-distance movements. Examples are the large-scale exports of fuel oil from ARA (mainly Rotterdam) to Singapore and Asia; exports of g