- Harvest Energy Marine has acquired Vadero Highlander, an ocean-going bunker tanker as a part of its bunkering operations in Europe.
- The company had also acquired the vessel Andros for bunker operations and provide offshore deliveries.
- The vessel is a 4,600 mt DWT tanker, built-in 2010, has a mixed fuel oil and gasoil capacity of 4,300 cu m.
- As IMO deadline nears, bunker tanker operators have to either switch between cargoes, necessitating tank cleaning to avoid contamination or install scrubbers.
According to an article published in Platts, Harvest Energy Marine, a part of the Prax Group, is all set to expand its bunkering operations in the UK and northwestern European waters.
New addition to its fleet
The expansion has been made possible with the addition of a second ocean-going supply tanker to its fleet, Prax said in a release made available to S&P Global Platts late Tuesday.
This comes after the company acquired Vadero Highlander, an ocean-going bunker tanker, in February, it said.
Expansion of bunker operations
Prax recently acquired the Andros to expand its bunker operations and provide offshore deliveries, it said, adding that the 4,600 mt DWT tanker, built-in 2010, has a mixed fuel oil and gasoil capacity of 4,300 cu m.
“The layout of the Andros will enable the group to securely segregate multiple grades of bunker fuel, allowing supplies to be tailored exactly to customers’ requirements,” the company said in the statement.
Delivery in terms of compliance
The layout will also facilitate the company to manage and deliver supplies fully in accordance with the new sulfur emission regulations coming into force in 2020, it said.
Less than six months remain before the International Maritime Organization’s global sulfur limit rule for marine fuels kicks in. The IMO will cap global sulfur content in marine fuels at 0.5% from January 1, 2020, down from the current 3.5%. This applies outside the designated emission control areas where the limit is already 0.1%.
Shipowners will have to either burn cleaner, more expensive fuels or install scrubber units for burning high sulfur fuel oil.
Increase in fuel types and blends
With an increasing variety of fuel types and blends, the operational scheduling of bunker tankers is set to become more complicated. Bunker tanker operators will likely have to either switch between cargoes, necessitating tank cleaning to avoid contamination or dedicate specific vessels for each product.
About the company
Prax is UK-headquartered independent trading, storage, distribution, and retail conglomerate dealing in petroleum products and biofuels. The company has established trading offices in Geneva and Singapore, and additional branch offices in Albania, Belgium, Brazil, China, India, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Nigeria, and Saudi Arabia.
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Source: Platts
