UNITANK

What UNITANK does

UNITANK, headquartered in Hamburg, is one of the leading independent operators of tank farms in Germany and Belgium. The company leases storage capacity and provides handling services for mineral oil products — gasoline, Diesel, heating oil, and Jet A-1 aviation fuel — to oil companies and traders on a neutral, third-party basis. It operates seven locations with a combined capacity of 1.3 million m³, including pipeline-connected terminals at Frankfurt Airport (supplying ~50% of Jet A-1 demand via the RMR pipeline) and Berlin Tegel Airport. UNITANK also stores a significant portion of the national strategic petroleum reserves for the Federal Republic of Germany and the Kingdom of Belgium, positioning it as designated critical energy infrastructure.

The operating model is fee-based: customers pay recurring storage and handling fees for rental of tank capacity that UNITANK does not own product in. Operationally, all new tanks since 1975 have been built to an in-house tank-in-tank construction standard with double-bottom leak detection. UNITANK was the first operator in the sector to sign Terminal Performance Agreements ensuring critical spare-part availability, and it runs an integrated Management Information System consolidating throughput across terminals with centralised video surveillance and electronic document management for permits and contracts. The company is privately held under UNITANK Holding GmbH & Co. KG, with UNITANK Betriebs- und Verwaltungs GmbH as operating subsidiary; since 2019 it has been backed by two long-term institutional investors, DIF and Aberdeen Standard Investments.

In January 2026, UNITANK established the UniPyrum joint venture with Pyrum Innovations AG (UNITANK 51% / Pyrum 49%) to construct and operate 5–10 end-of-life tyre recycling plants across Europe using Pyrum's thermolysis technology, with the first site planned at the Emleben terminal. Leadership includes Jan Vogel (CEO of UNITANK Group) and Dennis Bischoff (CFO). The company employs 51–100 staff.

Name

UNITANK

Legal name

UNITANK Betriebs- und Verwaltungs GmbH

Website

https://unitank.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

UNITANK is a Hamburg-based independent tank farm operator running 1.3 million m³ of storage across seven sites in Germany and Belgium for oil companies, traders, and government strategic petroleum reserves.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tank Storage Services: UNITANK operates as a neutral, independent tank farm operator. Oil companies and traders rent tank space and pay for storage and handling services. The company does not own the stored products.
2. Strategic Reserve Storage: Contracts to store national strategic petroleum reserves for Germany and Belgium

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

UNITANK is an independent, neutral operator of tank farms that rents storage capacity and provides loading, unloading, and handling services for mineral oil products (gasoline, Diesel, heating oil, Jet A-1) to oil companies, traders, governments, and airports. The company operates seven terminals in Germany and Belgium with over 1.3 million cubic metres of total capacity, and stores significant portions of the national strategic petroleum reserves of Germany and Belgium. In January 2026, UNITANK established the UniPyrum joint venture with Pyrum Innovations AG to build thermolysis-based end-of-life tyre recycling plants across Europe.

Product overview

UNITANK is a leading independent operator of tank farms in Germany and Belgium, offering commercial oil storage services from seven locations with a total capacity of over 1.3 million cubic metres. The company operates as a neutral service provider, renting tank space and handling mineral oil products (gasoline, Diesel, heating oil, Jet A-1) for oil companies and traders. UNITANK also stores significant portions of Germany's and Belgium's strategic petroleum reserves. In January 2026, UNITANK established a joint venture called UniPyrum with Pyrum Innovations AG to build and operate end-of-life tyre recycling plants across Europe using thermolysis technology, marking a diversification into circular economy services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tank Storage Services Independent, neutral tank farm operations for commercial oil storage, including loading, unloading, and handling of mineral oil products. UNITANK rents tank space and provides product handling services to oil companies and traders across seven terminals in Germany and Belgium.
• Strategic Reserves Storage Long-term storage of national strategic petroleum reserves for the Federal Republic of Germany and the Kingdom of Belgium, serving as critical infrastructure for energy security and emergency preparedness.
• UniPyrum End-of-Life Tyre Recycling Joint venture with Pyrum Innovations AG (UNITANK 51%, Pyrum 49%) to build and operate thermolysis-based end-of-life tyre recycling plants across Europe, with each plant having a minimum capacity of 22,000 tonnes per year. First project planned at UNITANK's Emleben location in Thuringia.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 5.6 million m³ throughput in 2018
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Pyrum Innovations AGcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 January 2026Joint venture 'UniPyrum' established for construction and operation of 5-10 end-of-life tyre recycling plants in Europe. UNITANK holds 51%, Pyrum holds 49%. Each plant will have capacity of at least 22,000 tonnes per year using Pyrum's thermolysis technology. First project planned at UNITANK's Emleben location.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Advario: Rotterdam-based independent tank storage operator (formerly HES International). Provides bulk liquid storage across Europe including gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and biofuels — directly comparable service mix and customer segments to UNITANK.
• Evos: European-focused energy infrastructure company operating terminals for storage and handling of petroleum products and chemicals. Direct competitor in independent European bulk storage with similar customer base of oil majors, traders, and governments.
• Koole Terminals: Dutch independent tank storage company operating bulk liquid terminals in the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp corridor. Comparable independent/neutral positioning, storage of mineral oils and biofuels, and customer overlap with European oil traders.
• Royal Vopak: Dutch-headquartered global independent tank storage operator with ~30 million m³ of capacity worldwide. Most directly comparable independent neutral operator; overlaps with UNITANK in European gasoline/diesel/jet fuel storage and serves the same oil-major, trader, and government customer set.
• Oiltanking: Hamburg-based independent tank storage operator (acquired by MGL/ENK in 2024) with a large European network of petroleum, chemical, and gas terminals. Closest German-headquartered direct competitor to UNITANK with overlapping customer base and service offering.

Regional players

• International-Matex Tank Terminals (IMTT): US-based independent bulk liquid terminal operator with major terminals on the US Gulf and East coasts. Comparable independent tank-storage business model for petroleum and chemical liquids, but geographically limited to North America.
• Magellan Midstream Partners: US-based master limited partnership operating refined petroleum products pipelines and terminal storage. Comparable business model (independent third-party storage) but North American focus and integrated midstream pipeline operations.
• CLH (Compañía Logística de Hidrocarburos): Spanish operator of the largest petroleum product pipeline and storage network on the Iberian Peninsula. Comparable independent bulk storage business but geographically focused on Spain, with limited overlap with UNITANK's DACH/Benelux footprint.

Emerging players

• Pyrum Innovations AG: German thermolysis-technology specialist and 49% partner in UNITANK's UniPyrum JV. Relevant as the technology partner for UNITANK's diversification into end-of-life tyre recycling, though not a competitor to UNITANK's core tank-storage business.

Broad incumbents

• Kinder Morgan: One of North America's largest energy infrastructure companies with significant refined-products terminals and pipelines. Comparable in that it provides third-party petroleum storage, but vastly larger and far more diversified across pipelines, terminals, and CO2.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 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 UNITANK