Skip to main content

UK: FM Conway and Nynas agree Thames River bitumen storage deal

Infrastructure services contractor FM Conway has signed a deal to supply Nynas, a UK provider of bitumen binder, with bitumen from its recently rebuilt Imperial Wharf terminal. The facility is on the River Thames in the town of Gravesend, near the mouth of the river and down river from London. FM Conway invested around €3.5 million to refurbish the terminal which was finished last September. The terminal has the capacity to dock and store up to 7,500tonnes of bitumen. Under the deal, Nynas will bas
April 15, 2015 Read time: 3 mins
Infrastructure services contractor FM 2329 Conway has signed a deal to supply 294 Nynas, a UK provider of bitumen binder, with bitumen from its recently rebuilt Imperial Wharf terminal.

The facility is on the River Thames in the town of Gravesend, near the mouth of the river and down river from London.

FM Conway invested around €3.5 million to refurbish the terminal which was finished last September. The terminal has the capacity to dock and store up to 7,500tonnes of bitumen.

Under the deal, Nynas will base bitumen tankers permanently at the terminal for delivery to key locations in London and across the south of England.

Conway said the deal gives Nynas “a secure, cost-effective source of bitumen” in the south east of the UK, complementing its existing facilities in the Wirral, Dundee and Teesside.

FM Conway, established more than 50 years ago, has its own recycling facility at Dartford and an asphalt plant in Erith, both towns upstream from the renovated Imperial Wharf terminal facility.

David Smith, development director at FM Conway, said: “Achieving cost and carbon-efficiency when supplying projects in the south of England has always been challenging for our industry, with many sources of key materials located in the Midlands or the north.”

“This new supply point means we can respond more rapidly to our clients’ needs, in particular in urgent and emergency situations,” said Keith Sherlock, commercial director at Nynas. “It also makes the transport of bitumen to southern England sites far more cost-effective and environmentally friendly, which is crucial for us in the long term.”

Nynas manufactures its products at refineries in Europe as well as North and South America. Three of their facilities – Nynäshamn and Gothenburg in Sweden and Harburg in Germany – are owned by Nynas. The refinery in Eastham, in the UK, is a joint venture with Shell.

In January 2014, Nynas took over a base oil plant in Harburg with an annual production of specialty oils up to 355,000tonnes. This represents a 40% increase in the company's supply capability of naphthenic specialty oils.

Other Nynas production plants, such as in Antwerp in Belgium, are linked to the company through cooperation agreements. Nynas also has access to refining capacity in the Netherlands Antilles.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Bentley developing software portfolio with new acquisition
    January 14, 2015
    Software specialist Bentley Systems continues to develop its engineering software portfolio, this time with the acquisition of the UK-based firm C3global. This move brings Bentley the web-based Amulet software for operational analytics. From a product portfolio perspective, it complements Bentley’s AssetWise platform, which serves configuration management, asset health monitoring, inspection, maintenance, and compliance for infrastructure assets. The move means AssetWise will deliver additional actionable i
  • Food price increases are resulting from biofuel targets?
    August 31, 2012
    Critics of Europe’s push towards biofuels are pointing out that the strategy is boosting the cost of foodstuffs around the world. The combination of drought and high grain prices are fuelling a growing clamour within Europe that is criticising the policy on boosting biofuel use.
  • Advanced, low emission, fuel efficient earthmoving
    February 23, 2012
    Manufacturers are rolling out sophisticated machines for the European, North American and Japanese markets - Mike Woof reports. This year has been a pivotal period for the development of advanced, low emission earthmoving machines. During 2011 an array of manufacturers have introduced new models designed to comply with the latest Stage IIIB/Tier 4 Interim emissions regulations introduced for
  • Repsol and Grupo Kuo agree to expand Dynasol activities
    April 28, 2015
    Dynasol, a global maker of synthetic rubber, much of it destined for large off-road vehicles including construction equipment, will boost its production. Dynasol is a joint venture formed in 1999 by Repsol and Grupo Kuo. Dynasol will focus on developing products for the high-performance tyre which uses synthetic rubber as a raw material and accounts for 70% of the synthetic rubber demand worldwide. The joint venture will have an estimated revenue of US$750 million and will produce more than 500,000 tons a