WEST INDIES PETROLEUM (WIP) is positioning to supply nearly half of the nation’s 350 retail fuel stations, leveraging global partnerships and significant storage infrastructure to increase market share in the Caribbean’s traditional energy supply chain, according to industry sources.

The company, which has grown from a small bunkering operation to providing approximately 30 per cent of Jamaica’s overall fuel market in just over a decade, now supplies about 80 per cent of the island’s independent gas stations.

Its expansion is anchored by a 700,000-barrel storage capacity and strategic logistics network.

Concurrently, WIP has established a partnership with US-based Sunoco on the bunker fuel side. Under this agreement, Sunoco imports bunker fuel and WIP distributes it in Jamaica. This collaboration is reportedly set to expand, given positive early returns.

The relationship with Sunoco is seen as key to WIP’s next growth phase. Sunoco is poised to finalise its US$9.1 billion acquisition of Canada-based Parkland, which owns the Texaco brand in Jamaica — the nation’s third-largest retailer with about 60 stations. Industry sources suggest that a future supply agreement for the Texaco network is a logical progression.

The partnership with Sunoco is viewed by industry analysts as a transformative strategy for the Jamaican company. By integrating itself into the supply chain of global majors, WIP is leveraging its logistically advantaged platform to create economies of scale, a shift described by sources as a fundamental change in how fuel is supplied in the region.

This strategic positioning has led to speculation that WIP is the only true local player in the Caribbean with the potential to emerge as a regional powerhouse. With its established footholds in both bunkering and local distribution, the company is reportedly aggressively moving to expand its footprint across the Caribbean and Latin America, signalling a broader plan for regional energy transformation.

— Dashan Hendricks