The move to launch ship-to-ship fuel bunkering at Qatari ports may not be sufficient to fulfill the marine fuel oil demand that has been displaced from Fujairah as a result of the Qatari crisis, Platts said citing undisclosed sources.
Although some sources said that bunkering at the Fujairah Offshore Anchorage Area (FOAA) was now possible for non-Qatari-flagged and/or non-Qatari-owned ships, suppliers informed they had still not started supplying bunkers to these ships that were sailing to and from Qatar, according to Platts.
Earlier this week, state-owned petroleum company Qatar Petroleum launched a bunkering facility for all vessels calling Qatari ports “ to ensure the continuous and reliable energy supplies. ” The bunkering operations, available for all vessels lifting any Qatari seaborne imports or exports, started after meeting all international maritime and safety standards.
“This temporary ship-to-ship fuel bunkering facility will meet our clients’ safety and commercial expectations, and will continue until a permanent solution is implemented,” Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, the president and CEO of Qatar Petroleum, said.
Qatar’s bunkering move might have a few downsides, according to Platts’ sources, including the current weather conditions with winds at around 4 knots at Doha, which could make the operations difficult, a limited storage for fuel oil, as well as the availability of bunker barges in Qatar.
World Maritime News Staff