Americas News
Panama Sees 22% Gain in Bunker Sales in 2019
Bunker sales in Panama surged by 22% last year to the highest level in at least a decade, according to the Panama Maritime Authority (AMP).
Total sales jumped to 5.35 milllion mt in 2019 from 4.55 million mt a year earlier, the AMP said Wednesday.
Fuel oil sales advanced by 15% to 4.74 million mt, while marine diesel oil gained 44% to 607,600 mt.
The strong gains are likely to mean Panama saw the greatest growth in marine fuels consumption of all the larger bunkering hubs in 2019.
Sales in Singapore slipped by 4.7% to a four-year low last year.
Panama's growth accelerated in December, with total sales for that month surging by 32% to 514,928 mt.
A total of 7,633 ships were refuelled last year in Panama, the AMP said, up from 6,046 in 2018.
That left average stem sizes down on the year, at 701 mt in 2019 versus 753 mt the previous year.
