Company: Societe Tunisienne des Industries de Raffinage
Country: Tunisia
Sector: Oil and gas
CEO: Not publicly listed
Website: Not publicly listed
Careers Page: Not publicly listed
LinkedIn: Not publicly listed
Email: Not publicly listed
Headquarters: Menzel Bourguiba, Bizerte, Tunisia
Founded: 1961 (refinery commissioned 1963)
Valuation/Revenue: $1.683bn revenue (African Business Top 250, 2025 ranking, rank 92)
Societe Tunisienne des Industries de Raffinage (STIR) is Tunisia’s sole crude oil refining company, operating the country’s only refinery at Menzel Bourguiba near Bizerte on the northern coast. It is a majority state-linked industrial enterprise that supplies most of Tunisia’s domestic fuel needs, making it one of the most strategically important companies in the country even though it is not a household consumer brand.
What Does STIR Do?
STIR refines imported and, historically, some domestically produced crude oil into gasoline, diesel, kerosene, jet fuel and other petroleum products for the Tunisian market. Its refinery at Menzel Bourguiba is a relatively small and aging facility by regional standards, with a nameplate capacity reported in past industry surveys at roughly 34,000 barrels per day, well below the capacity of larger North African refineries in Egypt or Algeria. Because Tunisia consumes considerably more refined product than STIR can produce, the country also imports substantial volumes of finished fuel, and STIR’s output is supplemented rather than fully substituted by these imports.
How Big Is STIR?
African Business magazine’s Top 250 ranking for 2025 placed STIR at number 92 on the continent by revenue, crediting it with roughly $1.68 billion in turnover. That figure reflects the value of refined fuel sales rather than profitability; STIR has for years been reported in the Tunisian press to operate at a loss or on thin margins because it sells much of its output to the state at regulated, subsidized prices that do not always cover its costs, with the gap periodically settled through state compensation mechanisms tied to Tunisia’s fuel subsidy system (the Caisse Générale de Compensation). This structural dependence on state pricing policy means STIR’s reported revenue is a poor proxy for its underlying financial health.
Who Owns STIR?
STIR is a joint-stock company whose shareholder base has historically combined the Tunisian state and state-linked energy interests with, at various points, foreign oil company participation. Public, up-to-date disclosure of the exact current shareholding split was not available in this research, but STIR is widely described in Tunisian and regional energy reporting as a state-controlled or state-majority enterprise operating under the oversight of Tunisia’s Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy. It is not listed on the Bourse de Tunis, and no market capitalization is publicly quoted for it.
Is STIR Legit?
Yes. STIR is a real, long-operating industrial company and the backbone of Tunisia’s domestic fuel refining capacity; it is not a scam or shell entity. It is, however, a low public-visibility company with little English-language corporate communication, no investor relations presence of the kind large listed companies maintain, and limited independently verifiable detail on its current management, precise ownership percentages or recent financial statements.
Where Is STIR Headquartered?
STIR’s refinery and operational base are located at Menzel Bourguiba, part of the Bizerte governorate in northern Tunisia, a historic industrial and naval port town. Administrative offices are believed to be co-located with or near the refinery site.
How Do I Contact STIR?
No verified public website, careers portal, LinkedIn page or contact email could be confirmed for STIR during this research. As a state-linked industrial operator rather than a consumer-facing business, STIR does not appear to maintain the kind of public-facing digital presence common among listed or multinational companies; enquiries would most plausibly be routed through Tunisia’s Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy.
Links
Website: Not publicly listed
Careers Page: Not found
LinkedIn: Not found
Email: Not publicly listed
FAQ
Is STIR a real company? Yes, it is Tunisia’s only crude oil refinery operator and a genuine, long-established state-linked industrial enterprise.
Who owns STIR? It operates as a state-controlled joint-stock company under Tunisian government oversight; the precise current shareholder breakdown is not publicly confirmed.
Is STIR publicly traded? No, it is not listed on the Bourse de Tunis.
What does STIR produce? Refined petroleum products including gasoline, diesel, kerosene and jet fuel from its Menzel Bourguiba refinery.
How much revenue does STIR generate? African Business’s Top 250 (2025) credited STIR with about $1.683 billion in revenue, ranking it 92nd among Africa’s biggest companies.
Where is STIR located? Menzel Bourguiba, in the Bizerte governorate of northern Tunisia.