German tank storage operator TanQuid must sell its stake in a pipeline company that operates critical defence systems, following its controversial takeover by a US company, according to a letter from the Economy Ministry seen by dpa.
TanQuid is required to sell its 49% stake in pipeline operator FBG, which is responsible for running federally owned pipeline systems used by Germany’s armed forces and NATO, said the letter, which was sent to the Economic Committee in the Bundestag, Germany’s lower house of parliament.
This must be done “in a timely manner” and forms part of the conditions under which the Economy Ministry authorized the acquisition of TanQuid by US company Sunoco LP.
The takeover has drawn criticism because Sunoco is a subsidiary of the US company Energy Transfer, whose chief executive is US billionaire Kelcy Warren, a donor to the Make America Great Again movement and a close confidant of US President Donald Trump, Der Spiegel news magazine reported.
The ministry’s letter said the pipeline systems in question are solely owned by the federal government, while FBG is responsible for their operational management. The government’s 51% stake in the company already gives it “access rights and the ability to influence the operation of the pipeline systems at any time,” it added.
On its website, TanQuid states that Sunoco successfully completed its acquisition on January 16, 2026.
An Economy Ministry spokeswoman said TanQuid’s business activities consist of operating tank farms in Germany and Poland, and supplying the mineral industry.
According to Der Spiegel, the transmission company supplies kerosene to German military airfields, including in Büchel, where US nuclear weapons are stored.