Port’s bunker claims debunked

The Port of Cape Town has
denied industry claims that
bunkering only happens
during daylight hours and
that bunkering during the
night has been stopped.
“Bunkering is undertaken
on a 24-hour basis via
the bunker barge, subject
to weather conditions,”
said Coen Birkenstock,
manager: corporate affairs
for Transnet National Ports
Authority (TNPA) at the
port of Cape Town.
Several industry roleplayers,
however, maintain
that all bunkering during
the night has been brought
to a halt.
This is the same message
being shared by Joint Bunker
Services (JBS), the joint
venture between several
oil companies offering fuel
and lubricants to marine
customers at the port.
In July the operation told
industry that all operations
at the Cape Town Port were
being limited to daylight
hours only and bunkering
operations and services
would be available only
between 7.30am to 6pm.
While industry was not
included in the decision,
the reasoning is believed to
be related to safety and to
allow for more controlled
operations.
“No-one let us know that
this was happening. It was
simply implemented,” said
a source. “It would have
helped slightly more if there
had been some discussion
or even just some further
information around the
decision.”
There are always
bunkering issues of some
kind or another at South
African ports, said another
source.
“It’s understandably not
a huge revenue source for
TNPA but from a national
interest point of view
bunkering is extremely
important to port cities as
it has a massive economic
spin-off for local business,”
he said. “The decision to
stop bunkering at night
is regrettable because
it further decreases
opportunities for businesses
and it will ultimately attract
less bunkering trade.”
The decision comes on
top of a decision to no
longer use
pipelines at
the port but
only a barge
for bunkering.
Birkenstock
said this
decision
had not
caused any
congestion or
problems to
date.
“Due to
the change
in operating
model – from
pipeline to road tanker for
small vessels – there were
concerns initially when the
pipeline was shut down,
but small vessels have now
become accustomed to
this mode of operation,”
he said.
Industry, however, seems
less convinced.
“They stop bunkering at
night and no-one knows
why. They only have one
barge for bunkering and
so it is unclear exactly
how they plan to attract
callers for bunkering with
this strategy,” said another
source.
It is also believed that
Transnet doesn’t give
preferential
prices
to ships
calling to
bunker and
so using
South
African
ports is not
cheap to
begin with.
Taking
into
account
attempts
by other
ports in
the region
such as that of Port Louis
in Mauritius to establish
themselves as bunkering
hubs and create the perfect
environment for the
trade, industry remains
convinced that bunkering
at present in the South
African context is under
threat.
INSERT & CAPTION
Bunkering is
undertaken on a
24-hour basis via
the bunker barge,
subject to weather
conditions.
– Coen Birkenstock