EMEA News
Turkish Bunker Player's Troubles Continue Amid Reports of Further Vessels Being Laid Up
Reports of financial difficulty for local Turkish bunker player Force Bunker have continued this week, and Ship & Bunker understands a total of four of the firm's vessels are now laid up.
As Ship & Bunker reported last week, sources familiar with the matter told Ship & Bunker that two bunkering vessels, Force 5 and Force 6, were taken back by the shipyard that built the vessels and are now laid up at Tuzla Shipyard area.
This week, local sources have told Ship & Bunker that now two more of its remaining four vessels, Force 1 and Force 2, are laid up at Yenikapi after what appears to be a dispute over unpaid wages.
Local Turkish media has also reported on the company's woes, noting debts owed to both local and global bunker companies.
Ship & Bunker has contacted Force Bunker via phone and email, but the company has so far declined to provide any official comment on the matter.
A number of the companies alleged to be indebted to Force Bunker have also been contacted by Ship & Bunker, and while some have confirmed they are aware of "cash flow" issues at Force Bunker, others have said reports of their exposure are not true.
Force Bunker, originally a barging company, last year is understood to have obtained a physical bunker supplier's licence.
The company has also been engaging in trading world-wide, according to its website.
