Bunker Services News

Shell Oman Marketing Company SAOG signed an agreement with Port of Duqm Company SAOC (PDC) to develop fuel bunkering facilities and services.The downstream oil marketing company in the Sultanate said in a press release that agreement was signed by Dr. Mohammed Mahmood Al Balushi, Chief Executive Officer of SOM, and Reggy Vermeulen, CEO of PDC.The agreement establishes bunkering terminal to provide different grades of quality fuels and lubricants as well as other ancillary facilities to marine liners calling at Port of Duqm, a 50:50 joint venture between the Oman Government and Port of Antwerp Consortium.Dr. Mohammed Mahmood Al Balushi…

Monjasa expands its reach to Northern France and goes from two to three supply vessels in Northwest Europe. Providing a niche market alternative to the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) bunker hub has proven relevant for a growing number of customers and volumes are increasing. Steadily growing demand in the English Channel allows Monjasa to expand its services to cover Northern France as well. Monjasa is able to cover port areas from Dunkerque, Calais, Dieppe, Le Havre and all the way to Brest.

South African ship owner Grindrod has sold its bunker division, Unicorn Bunker Services (Pty) Ltd., for an undisclosed sum to new co-owners WOESA (Women in Oil and Energy South Africa) and Linsen Nambi.Financed through the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), the deal creates the nations first 100 percent black ship owners and facilitates the participation of black women and black youth in the maritime sector.Unicorn Bunker Services was established in 2006 a division of Grindrod Freight Services and operates three bunker tankers in the ports of Durban and Cape Town under contract to BP…

World Fuel Services (WFS) said it will supply fuel oil and marine diesel from a new physical marine fuel supply location in Port Manatee in Tampa, Fla. WFS said it will have two dual capacity tug and barge units to service the area and has also partnered with Vane Brothers. “World Fuel Services continue to invest in selective physical supply locations. When selecting locations for WFS we carry out an intense risk assessment ensuring we are able to deliver the highest standards of service,” said Joe Gowen, SVP Global Marine Supply.

Over the past year, 29,646 seagoing vessels entered the port of Rotterdam, up more than 600 from 2016's 29,022. The number of incidents in the port fell from 159 to 129, and included one ‘serious accident’ involving an inland vessel that went adrift after hitting a groyne with its rudder. According to National Harbour Master René de Vries, the decrease in the number of minor incidents can be explained by the Port Authority’s investments in infrastructure in recent years: “Thanks to the new buoy configurations and dolphins, there were considerably fewer minor bollard-ship collisions and fewer barges went adrift due to bad weather,” he said. Efficiency in inspections continued to increase further in 2017, according to the port.

Singapore-based bunker barge operator New Ocean Maritime was fined 81,000 Singapore dollars ($57,100) on Jan. 17 for providing services without a licence between Jan. 3, 2015 and March 28, 2015, the Singapore port authority said on Tuesday. The company was also found to have used the bunker craft operator licence of Seaquest Tanker, another Singapore-based bunker services provider, which had its permit revoked last year on April 26 for erroneous record-keeping. Singapore is the world's largest ship refuelling port, with thousands of vessels calling every year to take on bunkers, as shipping fuel is known in the industry. "MPA adopts a zero tolerance approach towards bunkering malpractices and will not hesitate to take action against any unlicensed entity operating in the port of Singapore…

OW Bunker announced the appointment of Andrew Ananiev as Sales Manager. The move is part of a strategic focus to further strengthen the Group’s presence in the growing BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) countries. Andrew Ananiev has many years of experience within the maritime sector, including extensive operational experience with a number of ship owners, including Genmar. His most recent role before joining OW Bunker was with Ukrainian shipowner Ukkrichflot. He also holds a Masters Degree in Marine Transportation. Ananiev will be based in OW Bunker’s headquarters in Aalborg, Denmark, where he will head up a dedicated team serving OW Bunker’s customers in the Russian market.

According to reports, there are mixed messages being transmitted around the tanker market. The threat of further cuts in crude production by Opec is being brought closer as oil prices fall on world markets. Unseasonal weather conditions still have a lot to do with sentiment and while stock levels remain above average, oil buyers are likely to play a waiting game. Then as oil prices ease down due to the shortage of activity, oil buyers tend to return to the marketplace. But by then freight rates have taken a small dive. But there is hope on the horizon. VLCC rates are starting to strengthen as charterers take a longer view. For instance…

OceanConnect's board of directors and shareholders reflected on two years of strong growth at the company's annual meeting, held yesterday in Oslo. brokerage with live, online competition. The results speak for themselves: with growth of more than 40 percent per annum, the outlook is good for continued growth," OceanConnect President Thomas Reilly said. Reilly and OceanConnect shareholders discussed the company's progress over the past year. In 2002, Chemoil, DS Norden, MarineProvider, Lazard, and Booz Allen & Hamilton joined OceanConnect's diverse equity base. OceanConnect expanded into Korea with the recent addition of S.I. Shim, Asia's most respected broker. Bob Fitzgerald, the founder of Bunkerfuels, joined OceanConnect earlier in the year.