World Bunkering > News > Autumn 2009 > Global round-up

AMERICAS

Aegean expand Vancouver coverage
Aegean Marine Petroleum Network Inc. (Aegean) has taken delivery of the ITB Provider, a 2001-built 2,315 mt double-hull barge which is expected to be deployed to Aegean’s Vancouver market. The barge, to be renamed PT 22, was previously chartered to a Canadian-based subsidiary of Exxon Mobil.

E. Nikolas Tavlarios, President, commented, “Management’s strategic acquisition of a double-hull barge further increases Aegean’s delivery capacity and expands the company’s ability to drive future sales volumes in Vancouver, one of the largest ports in North America based on total cargo volume. The barge is fully compliant with IMO regulations and complements our two barges that currently serve this important commercial hub.

By once again expanding our bunkering delivery fleet utilising our considerable financial flexibility, we have enhanced Aegean’s position to meet the strong demand for modern tonnage and strengthen its leading brand as an independent physical supplier of marine fuel on a global basis.”

ASIA

Singapore hits record deliveries
Singapore bunker sales reached their highest ever monthly total in May, when some 3.2 million tonnes were sold, an increase of 10.5% over the same period last year. Vessel calls also increased, with 2,891 vessels making bunker calls in May, up from 2,754 bunker calls in May 2008.

Largest bunker tanker launched
Singapore-based barge operator Hong Lam Marine has taken delivery of the 22,000 dwt Spectrum, said to be the largest bunker tanker in the world. A sister ship, to be named Splendour, will be delivered in September. A further 8,700 dwt barge is due for delivery at the end of this year.

Hong Lam operates a fleet of 18 vessels in the Singapore harbour. It is expected that the two new bunker vessels will act as floating storage for smaller bunker tankers to ease berth congestion, as well as delivering larger parcels of bunker fuel.

“Hong Lam always prides itself on being in the forefront of providing newer and more sophisticated bunker tankers in Singapore, and the delivery of the 22,000 dwt largest purpose-built bunker tanker is Hong Lam’s commitment to Singapore’s bunker industry,” said chief executive Lim Teck Cheng. Hong Lam owns a 75% stake in the two vessels, while the remaining 25% is owned by Japanese bunker supplier Toyota Tsusho. According to Kiyoshi Furubayashi, executive vice president at Toyota Tsusho, the new tankers allow the company to benefit from economies of scale while expanding its Singapore business.

Singapore to assist bunker surveyors
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) is introducing a new financial assistance scheme to support bunker surveying companies seeking accreditation. Under an initiative announced last year, from 1 January 2010, all bunker surveyors will need to be employed by companies that are accredited under the Accreditation Scheme. This scheme will grant bunker surveying companies a one-time 30% financial relief on the assessment fee with the Singapore Accreditation Council (SAC). According to the MPA, more than 70% of bunker surveying companies in Singapore stand to benefit from the financial assistance scheme.

“The Accreditation Scheme for bunker surveying companies is an important initiative that we should press on with despite the economic situation,” says Lam. “MPA’s new financial assistance scheme will defray part of the accreditation cost and help them keep to the timeline for accreditation.” Eligible bunker surveying companies have up to 31 December 2009 to submit their applications to the MPA.

Dan-Bunkering launches in Singapore
Dan-Bunkering opened a new Singapore office in May 2009, with the aim of expanding the company’s already strong market position in the region. “Globally speaking, the Singapore office is also of great importance to Dan-Bunkering Ltd – not only because of the physical presence in the highly competitive and rapidly growing Singapore market, but also because of the world spread attention the office enjoys. As Dan-Bunkering aims to be even more present and gain an even stronger market position, the positive attention is very beneficial,” said the company in a statement.

Brightoil aims for expansion
Brightoil is aiming to expand its bunkering services, launching new supply stations in both Shanghai and Singapore. According to recent reports, the company aims to increase the size of its storage facilty in Shenzhen to 1 million cu m, and has signed a preliminary contract to establish storage facilities in Zhoushan. In addition, Brightoil began supply operations in Shanghai in June, operating four double-hull bunker tankers. It has also obtained a license to operate a bunker operation in Singapore, although it had yet to begin operations at the time of going to press.

INDIA

Chemoil expands to Chennai and Mumbai
ChemoilAdani, a joint venture between Chemoil and Adani Enterprises Ltd announced at the end of June that it has begun bunker fuel sales at Mumbai and Chennai. “We have started supply with initial volumes of between 8,000 to 10,000 metric tonnes per month in these two ports. We would like to start small, to get to know the market better before we make any further plans in terms of infrastructure investment,” said Basheer Ahmed Sayeed, ceo of ChemoilAdani. While total bunker sales in India are currently less than 1 million tonnes per annum, ChemoilAdani believes there is considerable potential for growth. “We are estimating that by 2011- 2012, Indian ports may see a potential increase in marine fuel sales to around 23-24 million metric tonnes per year,” said Sayeed.

ChemoilAdani is aiming at a monthly sales target of 100,000 tonnes by the end of this year, up from 50,000 tonnes in March this year. It says that the delivery of the 6,600 dwt George Sea has substantially enhanced its delivery capabilities to supply larger tankers in addition to container vessels, as the volume and variety of ships calling in the Gulf of Kutch increase. Further expansion is possible, as it continues to explore the market potential of other ports in India.

CARIBBEAN

Jamaica fuel service restored
Jamaica suffered fuel supply problems throughout June after the main oil and cargo transfer berths at the PetroJam refinery were damaged in a tanker accident at the beginning of the month. Service was restored after a month-long operation by salvage firm Resolve Marine. The tanker was scheduled to offload heavy fuel oil on 2 June when it collided with its berth, damaging a crucial 90ft section of the dock that housed the intake manifolds for nearly all of the LPG, ethanol, gas, diesel, heavy oil, and kerosene lines; essentially interrupting the flow of all the fuels entering Jamaica.

Preliminary inspections, using divers and remote operated vehicles, found that none of the transfer pipes were salvageable. This meant that seven major pipes had to be identified, flushed, cut, raised, welded, and rerouted in order to restore the island’s fuel supply. The remaining dock’s physical infrastructure and the condition of berth and cargo handling systems were also fully surveyed before reopening for operations on 27 June.