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Ecoslops, a technology company that upgrades ship-generated hydrocarbon residues into new fuels and light bitumen, today announced its key achievements for the first half of 2017 (H1).

Ecoslops confirmed that H1 production at its first micro-refinery unit (P2R) in the Port of Sines, Portugal, doubled from 6,050 tonnes to 12,200 tonnes year-on-year.

Sales volume, meanwhile, rose to 9,700 tonnes, up from 3,700 tonnes during the corresponding period last year.

There was also said to be an improvement made to the product mix, due to an increase in sales, with stronger value-added products and a higher sales price per tonne.

Ecoslops said the quality of the production process had been maintained at a "very high" level, with 98 percent of waste products regenerated into refined products.

As regards reducing expenses, Ecoslops explained that measures taken to lower staff costs and other variable and fixed costs had been effective during the period.

"These strong improvements in terms of sales and costs, demonstrate a significant increase in results for H1 2017, compared with the same period last year, and confirm the relevance and viability of Ecoslops' business model," Ecoslops noted.

Mini-P2R

Ecoslops has also launched technical and economic studies of a new concept: the 'mini-P2R' - a reduced-sized unit designed to treat 4,000 to 8,000 tonnes per year and said to be specifically suitable for medium-sized ports.

This business line is designed to allow Ecoslops to capitalize on the expertise accumulated with the P2R, which has a capacity of 30,000 tonnes or more, while generating regular revenues (in equipment sales and technical assistance) and proving less capital intensive.

Ecoslops added that several commercial projects were already being reviewed regarding the mini-P2R.

Business Development Director

Ecoslops also announced the appointment of Wladimir Makinsky as Business Development Director.

Makinsky is a Merchant Marine Officer who has worked for Maersk Group as a multipurpose officer for six years. Following this, he was involved in the development of Bollore Transport & Logistics activities (Africa and worldwide) for five years.

Other projects

Ecoslops confirmed that it was actively developing its projects in Marseilles and Antwerp projects, as well as those in Suez Canal and Ivory Coast.

Image: Vincent Favier - chairman and CEO of Ecoslops.