What SUMED does

SUMED (The Arab Petroleum Pipelines Company) is an Egyptian-domiciled joint-stock company founded in 1974 by Law No. 7 of 1974, operating under an Arab-national-oil-company consortium ownership structure led by the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (50%), Saudi Aramco (15%), QatarEnergy (5%), Mubadala Energy, and Kuwaiti entities. The company owns and operates the only crude oil pipeline connecting the Arabian Gulf to the Mediterranean, a 320-kilometer twin 42-inch pipeline running from Ain Sukhna on the Red Sea to Sidi Kerir on the Mediterranean, with a Phase 3 design capacity of 117 million tons per annum and combined crude storage of approximately 5.1 million m3 across both terminals.

The company's core technology stack centers on petroleum infrastructure: eight Single Buoy Mooring (SBM) systems capable of receiving VLCCs up to 500,000 DWT, an Integrated Control and Safety System (ICSS) with DCS, ESD, FGS, and MMS subsystems, ultrasonic custody-transfer metering, and the more recently developed Ain Sukhna Product Hub (ASPH) — a marine terminal with FSRU berthing (750 MMSCFD regasification capacity per unit), LPG handling, and 295,000 m3 of refined product storage. SUMED's revenue model combines per-ton pipeline transit fees (crude transport), recurring storage tariffs at both terminals, transaction fees for trading-supporting services (stock transfers, SWAPS, lightering, title transfer undertakings), and managed services for LNG regasification and petroleum product handling.

SUMED sells to a concentrated set of enterprise and government customers: Arab Gulf national oil companies (Saudi Aramco Trading, Kuwait, UAE), Egyptian refineries, EGPC for domestic crude dispatch, EGAS for LNG regasification, and the Egyptian power sector for fuel oil/gasoil. GTM is direct B2B enterprise field sales with no intermediaries; commercial engagement is anchored by long-term contracts, the SUMED/Suez Lightering cooperation with the Suez Canal Authority, and high-level Egyptian government endorsement (Prime Ministerial and Ministerial site visits). Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is negotiated per contract. The company has maintained an average 25% return on paid-in capital over 53 years, with 2022 representing its highest total revenue and net profit since 2012.

Name

SUMED

Legal name

The Arab Petroleum Pipelines Company

Website

https://sumed.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

SUMED (The Arab Petroleum Pipelines Company) operates the only crude oil pipeline connecting the Arabian Gulf to the Mediterranean via a 320km twin pipeline, serving Arab national oil companies, international oil traders, Egyptian refineries, and government entities with transportation, storage, LNG regasification, and petroleum product handling services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Crude Oil Pipeline Transportation

NAICS

Pipeline Transportation of Crude Oil (4861), Pipeline Transportation of Refined Petroleum Products (48691), Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas (48621)

SIC

Pipe Lines (No Natural Gas) (4610), Wholesale-Petroleum Bulk Stations & Terminals (5171)

akta.pro primary industry

Long-Haul / Trunk Crude Oil Pipeline Transportation (TLAGAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Crude Oil Pipeline Transportation (EUALADAA), Refined Products Pipeline Terminals & Breakout Storage Operations (TLAGABAJ), LPG / Propane-Butane Products Pipeline Transportation (TLAGABAH), Refined Products Pipeline Transportation (Gasoline/Diesel/Jet) (EUALADAD), Crude Oil & Petroleum Products Tanker Transport (TLADALAA)

Keywords

• Crude oil pipelines
• Petroleum storage terminals
• LNG regasification services
• Petroleum products handling
• Ship lightering operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Alexandria

HQ country

Egypt

HQ region

Africa

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Crude Oil Transportation: Pipeline transit fees charged per ton/barrel of crude oil transported from Ain Sukhna on the Red Sea to Sidi Kerir on the Mediterranean via the 320km twin pipeline system. Phase 3 capacity reached 117 million tons per annum.
2. Crude Oil Storage Services: Commercial storage services at both terminals — 2.9 million m3 at Ain Sukhna and 3.1 million m3 at Sidi Kerir, enabling producers and refinery owners to minimize capital investment in storage capacity. Reached $153 Mn highest commercial storage revenue in 2021.
3. Petroleum Products Handling & Storage: Handling and storage of refined petroleum products including fuel oil, gasoil, diesel, LPG, and LNG via the Ain Sukhna Product Hub (ASPH). Services include batch pigging, additive injection, commingling and blending, heating and heat maintaining. Achieved $75.77 Mn revenue in 2020.
4. Lightering Services: SUMED/Suez Lightering at Ain Sukhna allowing VLCC partial offloading, Suez Canal transit, and reload at Sidi Kerir — reducing shipping costs per ton for shippers. Includes back loading, topping and prelifting services.
5. LNG Regasification (FSRU) Services: FSRU berthing infrastructure at ASPH enabling receipt of LNG, regasification, and injection into the national gas grid. FSRU capacity of 170,000 m3 plus LNG carriers up to 216,000 m3. Design capacity of 750 million cubic feet per day per FSRU unit.
6. Stock Transfer and Trading Tools: Changing title of crude oil while in SUMED custody, enabling shippers to trade crude without physical movement. Includes SWAPS for lagging stocks, undertakings to banks for financial dealings, and in-house trading tool.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

SUMED transports crude oil through a 320 km twin 42-inch pipeline between Ain Sukhna on the Red Sea and Sidi Kerir on the Mediterranean, and provides associated crude storage of around 5.1 million m³ across its two terminals. It complements this with petroleum products storage and handling (ASPH), LPG handling, ship lightering, and FSRU-based LNG regasification services sold to national oil companies, refiners, and international oil traders.

Product overview

SUMED (Arab Petroleum Pipelines Company) operates as an integrated petroleum logistics hub offering crude oil transportation and storage as its core product via a 320km twin 42-inch pipeline from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean, supplemented by petroleum products handling through the Ain Sukhna Product Hub (ASPH) including LNG regasification via FSRU vessels, LPG handling, fuel oil, gasoil, and diesel storage and dispatching. The company provides specialized trading-related services including stock transfers, title transfers for financial purposes, SWAPS for lagging stocks, and lightering operations. All services are delivered through strategically located terminals at Ain Sukhna and Sidi Kerir with combined crude storage capacity of approximately 6 million m3 and product storage capacity of 295,000 m3 at ASPH plus additional dedicated facilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Crude oil pipeline transportation

Quantifiable outcome

• 25% average return on paid-in capital maintained over 53 consecutive years
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered major and minor.

• Aramco TradingmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 November 2024Contract signed November 2024 for storage, trading, and re-export of gasoil/mazut (fuel oil) at SUMED facilities. Expands the partnership beyond crude oil into refined products handling.
• Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 October 2024Contract signed October 2024 for utilizing an additional marine berth at SUMED port in Ain Sukhna for mooring a second Floating Storage Regasification Unit (FSRU), supporting Egypt's LNG import program. First FSRU (Hoegh Galleon) entered service in summer 2024 at 750 MMSCFD capacity.
• Aramco TradingmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 February 2020First-ever crude oil transport and storage contract between SUMED and Aramco Trading, signed in February 2020. Part of SUMED's ongoing efforts to increase revenues, throughput volumes, and stored crude. Strengthens SUMED's position as a key source of crude supply to the Egyptian market for refinery expansions and to global markets.
• GASCO (Gas Companies Operation Co.)majorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGASCO executed the technical and engineering studies for LNG import projects at both SUMED's Ain Sukhna port and Sidi Kerir. GASCO managed supply of materials and project management with Petrojet's workforce. Also implemented gas pipelines: 2.2 km marine gas line and 3.8 km onshore gas line for FSRU operations, plus 16-inch loading arms among the largest globally.
• PetrojetmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPetrojet executed the construction and installation works for FSRU infrastructure at SUMED port in Ain Sukhna, including the second berth, marine facilities, pipelines, and loading arms for the second FSRU (Energos Icicle).
• ENPPI (Engineering for Petroleum and Process Industries)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerENPPI contributed to the engineering work for the LNG import infrastructure projects at SUMED's Ain Sukhna port, as part of the integrated team of Egyptian petroleum sector companies.
• Suez Canal AuthoritymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation agreement enabling SUMED/Suez Lightering operations at Ain Sukhna. Both SUMED and the Suez Canal Authority apply special procedures and tariffs for the lightering route to guarantee economic viability and attract more volume from the Cape of Good Hope. The partnership is central to SUMED's competitive lightering proposition.
• BESIX-ORASCOMmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEPC (Engineering, Procurement, Construction) contractor awarded the ASPH (Ain Sukhna Product Hub) jetty and marine facilities construction contract signed June 2016. First berth completed Q2 2017 for EGAS FSRU; second multi-product berth with 19m water depth completed to accommodate tankers up to 160,000 DWT and LPG carriers up to 82,000 m3.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Höegh LNG: Owner and operator of FSRU vessels (including the Höegh Gallant deployed at SUMED). Directly comparable to SUMED's regasification business model and a natural infrastructure partner for FSRU-based LNG imports.
• Excelerate Energy: Pure-play FSRU operator providing floating storage and regasification services globally, including the Höegh Galleon FSRU at SUMED's Ain Sukhna port. Directly comparable to SUMED's LNG regasification vertical and its 750 MMSCFD per-unit capacity profile.

Broad incumbents

• Kinder Morgan: Major North American midstream operator with crude, products, and LNG terminal assets. Kinder Morgan's Products Pipelines and Terminals segment mirrors SUMED's mix of crude transportation, refined product handling, and LNG/FSRU-adjacent infrastructure.
• Enterprise Products Partners: Large integrated midstream operator with extensive crude oil pipelines, marine terminals, and natural gas liquids infrastructure. Comparable to SUMED in combining long-haul pipeline transport with marine terminals and product handling/storage.
• Cheniere Energy: Largest U.S. LNG exporter with significant FSRU and regasification exposure. Comparable to SUMED's LNG vertical for regasification economics and long-term offtake contracting, though Cheniere is upstream LNG production-focused rather than a pure infrastructure operator.
• Enbridge: One of the world's largest crude oil and liquids pipeline operators, comparable to SUMED as a long-haul, regulated pipeline infrastructure business. Enbridge's oil pipelines segment (Enbridge Liquids Pipelines) provides a benchmark for scale economics, regulated returns, and terminal integration relevant to SUMED's Gulf-to-Mediterranean corridor.
• Williams Companies: U.S. energy infrastructure operator with pipeline and terminal assets. Relevant as a peer for large-scale, regulated pipeline economics and long-term customer contracts, though Williams is more natural-gas weighted than SUMED.

Regional players

• ADNOC Logistics & Services: UAE-based integrated energy logistics provider combining crude shipping, terminals, and pipelines. Comparable as a regional Gulf-state-controlled peer with similar cargo, storage, and pipeline economics serving the same Gulf-to-global trade flows.

Others

• Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC): 50% shareholder and primary domestic customer of SUMED. As the Egyptian state oil company operating pipelines, refineries, and storage domestically, EGPC provides direct comparability for crude supply logistics and terminal operations within Egypt.
• Saudi Aramco Trading: Major customer and 15% shareholder of SUMED. While not a direct operational peer, Aramco Trading's 2020 and 2024 contracts with SUMED make it the closest analog for crude trading, storage, and re-export economics that complement SUMED's pipeline operations.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/sumedegypt
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sumedarabpetroleumpipelines

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SUMED