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

AMERICAS

Aegean newbuild for West Indies

Aegean Marine’s latest newbuilding will be operated in the company’s new market in Trinidad and Tobago. The 6,272 dwt doublehull bunkering tanker Kalymnos was built in Qingdao Hyundai Shipyard in China, and delivered in early March.

President E. Nikolas Tavlarios, commented: “We are pleased to take delivery of the Kalymnos, our second bunkering tanker newbuilding to date in 2009 and twelfth since our IPO in December 2006. We plan to deploy this double-hull vessel to our new and attractive market in Trinidad and Tobago, where we expect to commence operations in the second quarter of 2009.”

Maersk hits 1000th fuel switch

Maersk Line’s environmental initiative to switch from bunker fuel to low-sulphur distillates at North American West Coast ports reached the milestone of the 1000th vessel call in February. One hundred and eleven vessels have participated since the programme began in 2006. The initiative has reduced Maersk Line fleet’s vessel-related air emissions by over 2,400 tons when calling at the ports of Los Angeles and Oakland in California, Tacoma in Washington and Vancouver in Canada. According to Maersk, this also means an 86% annual reduction in particulate matter, a 95% reduction in SOx, and a 12% reduction in NOx. The programme has cost the firm some $18 million to date.

“Maersk Line is convinced that mobile ship emission control solutions like fuel switches and catalytic converters provide great promise in effectively reducing emissions from ships in port areas. Mobile solutions can be implemented relatively rapidly, require no expensive shore infrastructure and do not shift emissions to other sources of power. This initiative has provided immediate air quality benefits at no cost to the taxpayer and without shifting air pollution to another source”, said Lee Kindberg, Director of the Environment for North America, Maersk Inc.

New Caribbean barge service

Caribbean Fuels has launched a new barge service in the East and South Caribbean region. Deliveries will initially be made by a 1,500 cu m barge. The area covered includes offshore deliveries at several places between the Grenadines and the Virgin Islands, and inport delivery at Pointe-à-Pitre (Guadeloupe) and Fort-de-France (Martinique). At a later stage the service will be extended to Oranjestad (Aruba) and offshore Aruba. “The barge will distribute MGO and IFO in this part of the Caribbean where it is usually impossible to get a good quality bunker at a competitive price by barge,” said managing director Denis Beavarlet.

Caribbean Fuels also intends to launch a 7,000 cu m double-hulled bunker tanker within the next few months which will ensure a continuous service in the East Caribbean and the ABC islands.

Bunkers International expands in Columbia

Bunkers International has launched a dedicated gasoil barge to serve ports on Colombia’s east coast. The Opita, operated in collaboration with Bunkers International’s joint venture partner Vanoil S.A., has 1,300 mt capacity and is capable of pumping 300- 400 tons per hour. It will serve Cartagena port and surrounding areas.

“We are excited about the launch of the Opita,” said John Canal, President of Bunkers International. “We now have a barge that is capable of pumping 1,000 mt of MGO to a ship in just a few hours. Prior to the launch of the Opita, this kind of operation would have taken 10-15 hours with the other barges available in Colombia. We have also expanded many of our IFO barges to carry 200-300 mt of MGO, eliminating the need for two-barge deliveries.”

ASIA

New head for Singapore MPA

Tay Lim Heng has stepped down as chief executive of the Singapore MPA to take up a position at Ministry of National Development. Lam Yi Young, previously director of manpower at the Ministry of Defence, took over as the head of the MPA at the beginning of May.

2008 strong year for Chemoil

Chemoil showed profits after tax of $47.1 million for 2008, up 55% from $30.3 million in 2007. Sales volume was up 13% to 16.5million tonnes compared with 14.6 million metric tonnes last year in 2007. Total volumes for 2008 were boosted due to new retail operations in the Middle East and Singapore, as well as greater overall cargo sales, the company said. Even in the fourth quarter, when many ports were citing drops in cargo volumes as the economic slowdown took hold, volumes showed an increase of 23% over 2007, increasing to 3.8 million tonnes from 3.1 million tonnes. Sharp decreases in the price of energy, however, reduced average sales values in the period by 29%.

According to Chemoil chairman and ceo Clyde Michael Bandy, the results reflect the strength of Chemoil’s diversified customer base. He is also cautiously optimistic about the year ahead: “As Chemoil moves forward into 2009, we remain prepared for the challenge of navigating the business through a tough economic climate. The slow-down in global trade has impacted the shipping industry and we can realistically envisage potential global demand reduction in the short term. However, our flexible sales mix and our diversified regional operations will provide an optimal balance between harnessing opportunities in new markets while continuing to generate satisfactory results in existing locations. We remain positive in our outlook to deliver continued long term growth.”

EUROPE

Cockett launches supply venture

UK-based oil supplier Greenergy International has entered into partnership with Cockett Marine Oil to sell marine fuel oil to the shipping industry on the Thames. The partnership marks Cockett Marine’s first entry into the physical supply sector in the UK.

Greenergy will store marine oil on the Thames estuary to supply a growing volume of traffic in and around the area, including a shipping and logistics park on the Thames Gateway and traffic related to the construction of the Olympic Park in East London. Products available include IFO 380, both high and low-sulphur, and marine gas oil. Lighter grades of fuel oil will also be available.

While Greenergy specialises in the supply of biofuels, the marine fuel oil available will be conventional. Greenergy says that it is looking at the possibility of blending co-products from the biofuel production process to create a second-generation marine fuel.

Karl Beeson, Managing Director of Cockett Marine Oil said: “This is an exciting new venture for Cockett Marine Oil and a chance to develop the business in a direction which takes full advantage of the strength and resources of the wider parent group. We anticipate a very successful future partnership with Greenergy and are pleased to be commencing with a much needed service in the country’s capital city”.

Aegean enters Patras market

Aegean has extended its bunkering services to give full coverage to Patras on the western coast of Greece. Patras is Greece’s second port, and serves as a strategic commercial hub connecting Greece and the Balkans with Italy and the rest of Western Europe. The port has a particular emphasis on the international ferry business.

Aegean has been serving the Patras market on a limited basis since the second quarter of 2008 from its base in Piraeus. The company plans to assign four of its Piraeus stationed double-hull bunkering tankers to this market.

Wilhelmsen Premier Marine Fuels under single ownership

Wilhelmsen Ships Service has now taken 100% ownership of major bunker broker Wilhelmsen Premier Marine Fuels. The company, which already owned 60% of the firm, purchased the remaining 40% of the shares from Tim Kemp. The sale is a pure ownership interest transfer and has no consequences for the company’s customers or employees.

Kemp, who held a senior position in Wilhelmsen Premier Marine Fuels before the sale, will remain with the company in a key position. “We are pleased that Tim Kemp will continue with us,” says David Tandy, President of Wilhelmsen Ships Service. “Tim’s competence and experience in this market will be a great asset to us in the period ahead,” he adds.

Wilhelmsen Premier Marine Fuels is managed within Wilhelmsen Ships Service and handles eight million tons of bunkers annually. The company operates in Oslo, Singapore, London and Cape Town.

GENERAL

Mollet to head GAC bunker division

Anthony Mollet has been appointed General Manager of GAC Bunker Fuels.

Mollet will be based in London, where he heads the global bunker team located in London, Houston, Cairo, Cape Town, Sharjah, Colombo and Singapore. In addition to providing strategic direction and leadership for GACBF’s global activities, his key responsibilities include developing and driving new marketing strategies to grow the business further.

One of his immediate priorities is to identify and implement continual improvement to the credit control function infrastructure, to ensure fair and satisfactory resolution to customer dispute and collection matters.

Mollet was previously marketing manager for GACBF in London, and has also spent six years with an oil trading major.

“Anthony has been with GACBF for just under two years but in the short period of time proved that he’s the right man to head the global operation,” says Lars Heisselberg, Vice President of shipping services for GAC. “GACBF is and will remain a long-term quality service provider in the bunker fuel industry and we’re delighted to have Anthony at the helm of taking it and our customers to the next level.”

TSA revises fuel charge formula

The Transpacific Stabilization Agreement (TSA) has formulated a new method to calculate bunker fuel charges. The new formula came into effect with the 2009-10 service contracts commencing on May 1. The new formula is adjusted quarterly instead of monthly, and is calculated according to Bunkerworld’s average weekly fuel prices in a smaller number of load ports than previous versions of the formula. These are Hong Kong and Los Angeles for a West Coast sailing, and Hong Kong and New York for an East Coast sailing.

“Vessel and operating characteristics have changed in the seven years since TSA last modified its bunker formula,” explained TSA chairman Ronald D. Widdows, in an interview with Lloyd’s List.

“In the current environment of price volatility, members saw an opportunity to improve the accuracy of their fuel cost calculations, while also accommodating shippers’ calls for greater transparency in how the charge is developed.”