Vitol's fuel deal could hand it 60% market share

Fuel and Franchise Association of Namibia (Fafa) president Michael Ludeke has warned that Vitol's role as Namibia's temporary bulk fuel supplier could ultimately give the global commodities trader control of about 60% of the country's fuel market.

The warning comes amid revelations that Vitol's presence in Namibia extends well beyond government's three-month emergency fuel supply arrangement through a web of corporate interests spanning fuel imports, storage, wholesale distribution and retail operations.

Despite the breadth of these links, mines and energy minister Modestus Amutse says he was unaware of the extensive corporate relationships connecting Vitol to companies already operating in Namibia's downstream petroleum industry.

"I am not aware of this relationship you are talking about. All I know is that these are Namibian companies you are mentioning," Amutse told Namibian Sun recently.

He denied any knowledge of the longstanding relationships between Vitol and a network of companies involved in wholesale fuel imports, storage and retail operations in Namibia.

An investigation by Namibian Sun found that Vitol's footprint in Namibia extends far beyond government's temporary fuel supply arrangement, through corporate interests that already span key segments of the downstream petroleum industry.

Ludeke said government's decision to appoint Vitol as a temporary supplier eases procurement challenges.

"It relieves stress and removes the problem of procurement," he said.

He added that downstream fuel dealers are unlikely to be directly affected because they source fuel from wholesalers.

"If Vitol secures the Namibian market's supply, it will have 60% market control," he claimed.

Not a new system

Amutse insisted the broader corporate relationships surrounding Vitol predated his tenure as minister.

"If you say that the interconnection started years back, then it means things have been operating that way before I became minister, so what do you want me to do now?" he asked.

The minister also rejected suggestions that the current arrangement amounts to a tender or long-term contract.

"Let's not call it a tender or a contract. This is just a temporary arrangement which will come to an end in three months, and no, it won't be extended beyond the three months."

He stressed that the initiative was inherited rather than introduced under his leadership.

"You see, this is not an Amutse arrangement, it is a government arrangement. I did not introduce a new system. It's been there," he said.

He added that the arrangement has reduced procurement costs for fuel wholesalers.

"This arrangement is meeting the market and wholesalers' and industry's needs. They are benefiting from this. They are making more money because they are now buying fuel without premiums," he said.

Amutse's comments were made days before he reviewed and suspended key conditions imposed by the Namibia Competition Commission (NaCC), allowing Nasan Energies to procure fuel from Vitol while the company's appeal against those restrictions is being considered.

The commission had barred Nasan from sourcing fuel from Vitol for five years when it approved the company's acquisition of 53 Shell- and Engen-branded service stations divested by Vivo Energy Namibia and Engen Namibia.

The conditions were imposed to preserve competition following Vivo Energy's acquisition of Engen's Namibian operations.

The Vitol trail

Corporate records reviewed by Namibian Sun show Vitol's involvement in Namibia extends well beyond the temporary government supply arrangement.

At the apex sits Vitol S.A., the Swiss commodities trading giant founded in 1966. The company supplies Namibia through Vitol Bahrain, its regional trading arm responsible for fuel deliveries into several African markets.

Its local footprint also runs through Vivo Energy, which Vitol fully acquired in 2022 after initially establishing the company with Helios Investment Partners in 2011.

Vivo Energy entered Namibia in 2012 after acquiring Shell's downstream operations before later expanding through the acquisition of Engen's African business, giving the wider Vitol group a presence across international fuel trading, wholesale supply, storage infrastructure and retail operations.

Another layer

The network extends further through Validus Energy, which is 70% owned by Vitol Holdings and 30% by Millennium Investments, a company associated with businessman Mathews Hamutenya.

Earlier this year, Namibian Sun revealed details of Namcor's fuel storage agreement with Validus.

Under the previous five-year agreement, Namcor stored Validus fuel at its facilities for about 40 cents per litre per month, generating roughly N$1.8 million in monthly revenue.

After that agreement expired, Namcor entered into a six-month interim arrangement while restructuring its storage strategy.

Former Namcor acting managing director Maureen Hinda-Mbuende said the revised arrangement increased storage fees to approximately N$5 million per month and would allow Namcor to transition to a new operating model.

Namcor has not yet responded to questions sent last month.

Competition watchdog's concerns

The NaCC appears to have recognised the breadth of Vitol's influence when it approved Nasan Energies' acquisition of Shell- and Engen-branded service stations.

Government Gazette No. 8880 prohibits Nasan from purchasing, importing or otherwise sourcing petroleum products, directly or indirectly, from Vitol or any company under common ownership or control with the trader for five years.

The restrictions extend to spot purchases, long-term supply agreements, intermediary transactions and fuel supplied through third-party storage or terminal arrangements.

The commission also introduced anti-circumvention measures.

"Nasan shall not procure petroleum products from any third party where such third party sourced the petroleum products from Vitol or any of its affiliates for the purpose of supplying Nasan," the Gazette states.

Any existing supply agreement between Nasan and Vitol or its affiliates was declared null and void from the approval date.

To enforce compliance, the commission required Nasan to obtain written declarations confirming suppliers are independent of Vitol and to disclose supplier identities, fuel volumes, supply agreements and declared fuel sources.

NaCC spokesperson Dina //Gowases declined to comment on whether government's appointment of Vitol as strategic fuel supplier undermines the objectives of those conditions.

"We have hereby attached the Government Gazette notice which provides in-depth detail regarding the determination of the Nasan Energies transaction. The Ministry of Industries, Mines and Energy is best placed to provide relevant responses," she said.

She added that Nasan has appealed the conditions and that the matter is now before the ministry.

Namibian Sun's attempts to reach Vitol for comment were unsuccessful.

This structure foregrounds the competition concern—Vitol potentially controlling 60% of the market—before introducing the minister's admission that he was unaware of the company's wider local corporate footprint, making the story's central tension much stronger.