London, once home to the largest port in the world, was the location for Bunker Lunch this week, held at the home of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts in Piccadilly. Over 150 industry experts came together for this year’s event, which has become a highlight of this highly specialised industry’s annual calendar.
Taking place in one of London’s most iconic venues, the lunch, which is hosted by Platts and jointly sponsored by SOHAR Port and Freezone and the Port’s bunker fuel partner, Omanoil Matrix Marine Services (MXO), gives attendees the opportunity to network with other international bunker industry professionals.
SOHAR was on hand to showcase what has been an incredible year, having just released figures for 2015 in recent weeks. Averaging almost one million tons of cargo per week, 2015 was the Port’s best year ever since operations began in 2004. Continuing a decade of double-digit growth, 2015 saw an impressive 12% year-on-year rise in total throughput, with container throughput up by 62% and RoRo up by 90%.
Andre Toet, CEO of SOHAR, said: “Last year was hugely successful for us, not only did we complete our best ever results, we added a number of new shipping lines to our impressive global roster, offering more direct links to Asia that will ultimately help to reduce the costs of doing business – savings that can be passed down right along the supply chain. We are now handling more than 2,500 vessels a year.”
Andre Toet continued: “When it comes to bunkering, we are in discussions to handle liquefied natural gas (LNG) ship-to-ship transfers in the near future. The pioneering STS transfers in SOHAR will combine the latest technologies with international best practices to offer a revolutionary service, currently only available at the Ports of Rotterdam and Singapore.”
MXO is the leading marine fuel supplier at SOHAR Port and Freezone. The company announced its own expansion in SOHAR last year, with the deployment of a new bunker barge. The new vessel, the 7,535-dwt MV Stephanie, provides both heavy fuel oil and marine gas oil to customers at all locations within SOHAR Port and its anchorage areas. It is the second dedicated bunker barge within the Port providing exclusive supply, joining its sister ship the MV Azelea that was deployed in August 2014.
Stephen Robinson, Managing Director of MXO, speaking at the event in London, said: “This second barge enables us to ensure the quality and quantity of products, the reliability of supply, as well as minimising costs and maximising operational efficiencies within the bunkering process. Despite the drop in global oil prices, marine fuel remains a significant proportion of a vessel’s operating costs. We are therefore working closely with our customers to provide the optimum bunker solution, creating real value for them when it comes to marine fuel procurement.”