Ports run dry as refineries close

TERRY HUTSON Bunker supply tanker Dolphin Coast en route to Richards Bay with another load of bunker fuel for that port. During October only 4 out of 10 trips were possible because of a fuel shortage. BUNKER SUPPLIES at Durban, Richards Bay and Cape Town have been in extremely short supply following programmed maintenance shutdowns of all three refineries. Durban’s Sapref refinery (Shell & BP) was shut for a short while for maintenance, followed by Engen which has been closed for the entire month of October. Cape Town’s Caltex refinery is also shut for maintenance between the first week of October and the first week of December. The bunker supply tanker Dolphin Coast was scheduled to make 10 trips to Richards Bay but could only load supplies for four, meaning that Richards Bay went without. Adding to the pressure it is reported that ships are diverting to Cape Town because of shortages and quality problems in West Africa. Although the oil majors say they have stockpiled sufficient bunker fuel to tide things over, the reality is something else, say those feeling the consequences.