Americas News
Glencore to Blame for San Antonio Bad Bunkers, says NuStar
NuStar Energy says Glencore PLC is to blame for alleged bad bunkers supplied last year to Centurion Bulk Pte Ltd (Centurion) chartered vessel m/v San Antonio.
As Ship & Bunker previously reported, earlier this month Centurion Bulk took legal action against NuStar for the March 15, 2018 stem, including in its claim a FOBAS Fuel Quality Investigation Report that opinioned the fuel did not meet ISO 8217 Clause 5 for being fit for purpose.
"On March 15, 2018, NuStar delivered 540.86 metric tons of bunker fuel to the
vessel M/V SAN ANTONIO. The fuel delivered by NuStar to that vessel was part of the fuel
delivered by Glencore to NuStar," NuStar said in court documents filed last week.
"NuStar does not manufacture, formulate, blend, modify or alter the bunker fuel in any way. The bunker fuel was provided to the M/V SAN ANTONIO in the same condition as NuStar received it from Glencore."
NuStar says that if Centurion is successful in proving the bunker fuel was contaminated or off specification, that bunker fuel was also contaminated and/or off specification at the time Glencore sold and delivered it to NuStar.
"Thus Glencore is solely responsible, as Glencore was the party that blended and/or manufactured the bunker fuel. NuStar did not alter the bunker fuel in any manner. It was delivered to NuStar's customer in the same form as it was received from Glencore," it said.
NuStar has called for the case against it to be dismissed and for Centurion to take up the matter with Glencore.
The case is one of a raft of bad bunker problems that arose last year, that Ship & Bunker understands affected some 200 vessels.
