Istanbul, Türkiye | November 2026
Following the announcement of its agreement to acquire Energy Petrol in October 2026, Alkagesta officially completed the acquisition in November 2026, with the transaction closing and the transfer of shares successfully finalized.
Following completion, Alkagesta is strengthening Energy Petrol’s management structure, combining international bunkering expertise with established local commercial leadership to support the continued development of its marine fuel operations in Türkiye.
As part of this structure, Taha Karakan, who joined Alkagesta in October 2024, will oversee the Alkagesta Turkiye marine distribution activities as Marine Distribution Director – Turkiye, including strategic and commercial oversight of Energy Petrol as part of Alkagesta’s international marine fuels portfolio.
Karakan brings extensive experience across international marine fuel trading, cargo supply and physical bunkering operations. Prior to joining Alkagesta, he held commercial and trading positions at Bunker Holding, the world’s largest marine fuel trading and bunkering company with annual sales volumes of approximately 24-25 million metric tons, where he was involved in marine fuel trading, physical supply operations and cargo supply management.
Alongside this Group-level oversight, Aydın Yıldız has been appointed as Marine Sales Director of Energy Petrol, bringing more than 20 years of maritime, technical, commercial and executive leadership experience to the Turkish business.
Yıldız worked at Petrol Ofisi from 2015 to 2025, most recently as Head of Marine Sales, holding full commercial and strategic responsibility for a marine fuels business with annual sales volumes of approximately >1 million metric tonnes consistently in past several years.
During his tenure, he led five commercial and operational departments and a team of 20 professionals, overseeing a nationwide marine fuel supply network, a fleet of 20 supply vessels and more than 10 marine fuel stations. The business held the leading position in the Turkish marine fuels market throughout that period, with a market share of approximately 39%.
He began his professional career at sea as a Marine Engineer, progressing to Chief Engineer before transitioning into senior commercial leadership roles.
Together, Karakan and Yıldız will bring complementary leadership strengths to Energy Petrol, combining Alkagesta’s international trading network and global bunkering capabilities with deep knowledge of the Turkish market and extensive local commercial expertise.
Founded in 1997, Energy Petrol is the third-largest physical marine fuel supplier in the port of Istanbul and will continue to operate under its established brand. The acquisition includes eight marine fuel supply vessels and a long-term lease of 28,000 cubic metres of tank capacity at the terminal in Gebze, marking Alkagesta’s first move into vessel ownership.
The company was built under the leadership of Mustafa Muhtaroğlu, a prominent figure in the marine fuels industry who is the founding and current chairman of the Turkish Bunker Association and has served as a board member of the International Bunker Industry Association (IBIA) for 20 years.
The strengthened management structure reflects Alkagesta’s commitment to maintaining Energy Petrol’s established customer relationships, operational reliability and service standards, while providing the platform, resources and international reach to support its next phase of growth across Türkiye and the wider region.
