SAPREF HAS awarded two five year contracts to black economic empowered barge operators to supply ships in KZN harbours with bunker fuel. The deal is worth US$ 75 million (R572m) spread over five years and carries options for a further five year extension. A Sapref spokesperson said last week that Smit Amandla Marine and Unicorn Calulo Bunker Services had been the successful bidders and would be providing barges to supply ships with bunker fuel in the ports of Durban and Richards Bay. She said that Sapref was to manage the KZN contracts on behalf of BP, Shell and Engen and would supply two million tonnes of bunker fuel per year to ships in Durban. A total of three new barges have been built, each in compliance with MARPOL Annex I requirement for double hull barges for bunker fuel delivery. One of the barges was built in Durban and another two in China while a fourth barge is to be modernised locally and a fifth newbuild built also in Durban. Unicorn Calulo will operate one of the new barges at Cape Town where Chevron is managing the contract.
