EMEA News
Rotterdam Low Sulfur Bunker Sales "Almost Tripled" in 2015
The Port of Rotterdam Authority Friday announced that sales of low sulfur gas oil and diesel "almost tripled" from 1.8 million m3 in 2015 compared 0.7 million m3 during the previous year.
The increase in the low sulfur bunker sales, which has been attributed to sulfur requirements for maritime shipping in the Emission Control Areas (ECAs) of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, is said to have come at the expense of the sales of fuel oil, which fell from 9.8 million m3 in 2014 to 8.7 million m3 in 2015.
"The Port of Rotterdam Authority welcomes this development, since gas oil and diesel are significantly less polluting than fuel oil. The Port Authority is committed to cleaner shipping," said the port authority.
Rotterdam is said to have maintained its claim as the largest bunkering port in Europe, delivering a total of 10.6 million m3 bunkers in 2015, the same amount as the previous year.
The Port of Rotterdam Authority notes that maritime use of low sulfur fuels may be more than the 2015 figures of Rotterdam show, explaining that introduction of ECA's has spurred the production of "ECA fuels" and ultra low sulfur fuel oil that are "not specifically reflected in the figures of the Port of Rotterdam Authority."
Earlier this month Ship & Bunker reported that Singapore, the world's biggest bunkering port by volume, increased its annual sales and also posted a new record annual total.
