Trafigura, a market leader in the global commodities industry, has completed the first shipment of Medanito crude for export via Puerto Galvan this week, marking the launch of a new export point in Bahía Blanca, Argentina. The export of 200,000 barrels was facilitated by infrastructure investments made within Trafigura’s Bahia Blanca Refinery, providing a direct connection to jetty number 3 in Puerto Galvan. This collaborative effort involved working closely with the Bahía Blanca Port Management Consortium (CGPBB), responsible for managing and operating the jetty.

The operation marks the beginning of a major infrastructure project that will increase Bahia Blanca’s export capacity and offer producers from Vaca Muerta access to international markets through this logistic service from well to port.

Once completed in 2025, the new facilities located on the same property as the Refinery will be able to handle 4.8 million barrels of oil per month, with storage capacity of 130,000 cubic meters. And once draft restrictions are lifted, Suezmax vessels, with a capacity of 1 million barrels per shipment, will also be able to load in Puerto Galván, optimizing shipments and providing the flexibility to access other international markets.

Last week, Trafigura inaugurated, a new truck unloading station in Bahia Blanca. This state-of-the-art facility, one of the most modern in the region, has six unloading positions and the capacity to manage up to 150,000 cubic meters per month, to offer an efficient alternative for the dispatch of Medanito crude oil.

“With these investments our aim is to bolster Argentina’s Medanito export infrastructure, supporting Vaca Muerta’s growth, and offering a logistic alternative for producers,” said Martín Urdapilleta, General Manager of Trafigura in Argentina. “As a global leader in commodities, our primary role is to manage supply chains to make them more efficient and responsible, and in this case to connect Medanito producers to consumers.”

In recent years, Trafigura has become the largest buyer of Medanito crude oil, sourcing 1.4 million barrels from more than 14 producers from Vaca Muerta plays since last October, and reaching and developing new markets in different countries in Latin America, the United States and Europe.

Source: Trafigura