Nicholas Browne News

Puget LNG and GAC Bunker Fuels have signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate in the supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG) marine fuel from Puget LNG’s terminal to GAC’s customers in the Pacific Northwest.When the Tacoma LNG Terminal becomes operational in the second quarter of 2021, it will be the first such terminal on North America’s west coast providing direct shoreside loading access for a bunker barge.GAC Bunker Fuels, a division of the Dubai-based GAC Group, will issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a Jones Act-compliant LNG bunker barge to be constructed…

Japan received its first shipment of liquefied natural gas (LNG) on Monday from Dominion Energy Inc's newly completed Cove Point export plant, the beginning of a jump in imports from the United States by the world's biggest buyer of the fuel.The docking of the tanker LNG Sakura at Tokyo Gas Co's Negishi terminal near Tokyo is another marker of shifting global energy flows as the United States ramps up exports of gas and oil from shale formations.The cargo is the first of 2.2 million tonnes of LNG a year Japanese companies are purchasing under long-term contracts from Cove Point in Maryland. A ramp-up of purchases now by Japan may draw…

GAC Bunker Fuels says it has further consolidated its position in the North Sea by appointing Per Steffen Bolstad to the bunker trading team in Bergen, Norway, where he joins bunker trader Christer Benjaminsen. Nicholas Browne, Global Director of GAC Bunker Fuels says “Per Steffen has eight years’ shipping experience, and was mostly recently Branch Manager in Bergen. He is yet another quality addition to our global bunker trading team, strengthening our commitment to operational excellence in strategic locations for our customers.” The company adds that GAC Bunker Fuels has expanded rapidly in the last two years, and now has a team of 25 bunker traders worldwide.

GAC Bunker Fuels says it has appointed former GAC Denmark Shipping Assistant Ida Ryberg as a Bunker Trader with its UK team. Ryberg joins Andy Boichat and Resham Rai at the London office and will also work closely with Kenny Petrie in Aberdeen, Murray Bishop in Southampton and Dimitra Maniati focusing on the superyacht sector from the sailing hub. Nicholas Browne, Global Director of GAC Bunker Fuels, says: “The global bunkering market is facing significant change and challenges in the coming years. Regulatory compliance, emission controls, economic pressures and volatile prices are factors that will continue to impact supply and demand.

The importance of balancing the numbers for a successful bunker fuel trading operation will be stressed by GAC's Nicholas Browne when he shares his experience at the Lloyds Maritime Academy Bunker Management School this week. In his speech, the Global Director of GAC Bunker Fuels will outline what bunker traders need to keep in mind making the judgment calls they face every day. What are the criteria for granting credit to a new customer? How can they minimize their risk exposure? What checks should be made before accepting a new client? In a separate session, Browne will discuss the various purchasing methods used in today's bunker trade including reverse auctions, panels and price pressing. His central theme will focus on the bottom line.

GAC Bunker Fuels Limited has announced the opening of its newest office - in Bergen, Norway - in a move to further strengthen its marine fuel and lubricant trading operation across the Nordic region. The Bergen office will be responsible for the trading of all grades of marine fuel and gas oil, as well as the full range of lubricant products, for domestic and international customers operating across Nordic waters and beyond. It will also co-ordinate customers' ship agency requirements. Nicholas Browne, Global Director, GAC Bunker Fuels, says: The opening of our Bergen office is testament to our commitment to expanding our geographical reach, which now extends to nine locations worldwide, and our scope of services to meet the needs of our customers.

GAC Bunker Fuels Ltd. awarded ISO 9001:2008 Management System Standard certification by DNV. The ISO 9001:2008 certificate awarded by Det Norske Veritas (DNV) recognises GAC Bunker Fuels’ best management practices in the trading and brokerage of marine fuels and lubricants across its global operational sites. It demonstrates the company’s full compliance with the requirements of this international best practice standard, which considers a range of measures, including management responsibility, resource management, product quality and the improvement of quality management systems across the organisation. Nicholas Browne, Global Director of GAC Bunker Fuels Limited, says: “Quality assurance has been the guiding principle behind GAC Bunker Fuels’ growth.

GAC Bunker Fuels Limited has appointed two new UAE-based bunker traders as part of its regional expansion plan. Georgia Paravalou will trade and broker marine fuels in her new role. An economics and management graduate, she joins GAC Bunker Fuels from AP&A. Ltd, where she worked as a shipbroker, coordinated the marketing department and developed business in the UK and South China. Anthony Inglis is charged with expanding GAC's bunker business in the Middle East and developing bunkering operations in Sub-Saharan Africa. He joined GAC Bunker Fuels from Weatherford International, where he served as a Procurement and Logistics Co-ordinator for the same market. says Nicholas Browne, Global Director of GAC Bunker Fuels.

GAC Bunker Fuels has appointed two new UAE-based bunker traders as part of its regional expansion plan. Georgia Paravalou will trade and broker marine fuels in her new role. Aneconomics and management graduate, she joins GAC Bunker Fuels from AP&A. Ltd, where she worked as a shipbroker, coordinated the marketing department and developed business in the UK and South China. Anthony Inglis is charged with expanding GAC's bunker business in the Middle East and developing bunkering operations in Sub-Saharan Africa. joined GAC Bunker Fuels from Weatherford International, where he served as a Procurement and Logistics Co-ordinator for the same market. "We are delighted to welcome Georgia and Anthony to GAC Bunker Fuels," says Nicholas Browne, Global Director of GAC Bunker Fuels.

GAC Bunker Fuels Limited has launched a new website-based pricing and market information platform that enables customers to access the daily data required to make fast and informed fuel procurement decisions. This new interactive service, which allows ship owners and operators to design their own customised daily pricing page, is available at http://www.gac.com/bunkerfuels. The GAC Bunker Fuels service provides historical data, allowing users to track and analyse market trends.

GAC Bunker Fuels, part of global shipping, logistics and marine services provider GAC, has announced the appointment of Maurice Lara as its Bunker Manager for East Coast USA. He is based in Norwalk, Connecticut and accountable to Nicholas Browne, Global Director of GAC Bunker Fuels, and Bob Bandos, Managing Director of GAC USA. Lara's background is in marine fuel trading, domestic and international logistics, vessel chartering and negotiating charter party agreements and end-to-end commodity transportation.

GAC Bunker Fuels unveiled plans to relocate the headquarters of its global bunker fuel services to Dubai under the new company name, GAC Bunker Fuels Ltd. The company also announced the appointment of Nicholas Browne as the new Global Director of GAC Bunker Fuels and Anthony Mollet as Commercial Director – Shipping (GAC UK). GAC Bunker Fuels’ relocation to Dubai will take place in August 2012.