AS THIS issue went to press on Monday morning (August 7), shipping lines were queuing up or being turned away from South African ports due to a bunker fuel crisis following a maintenance shutdown at South Africa's two national refineries. This has reportedly pushed up the price by $40 to $380 (R2 600) a ton. BP, part owners with Shell of the Sapref refinery in Prospecton south of Durban, confirmed this week that its 6-week shutdown for compulsory maintenance due to end on August 22 had been extended for another two weeks till September 7. A second oil refinery, the Caltex-owned Chevron refinery in Cape Town, has also shut down for maintenance, exacerbating the bunker fuel crisis now in its third week . South Africa is the main bunker fuel hub in the region. Ships will be told of the limited availability so that they can refuel elsewhere.
