Americas News
Panama Hopeful of New Offshore Bunkering Location by 2020
Panama is looking to boost its bunkering options with a new offshore location, Carls Von Lindeman, Commercial Manager, Vopak, told delegates gathered at last week's IBIA Caribbean Bunker Conference (ICBC) – The Caribbean Journey to 2020 Compliance.
The move could be particularly attractive to Neopanamax vessels, he explained.
Panama is an "opportunity" bunkering port where vessels typically want to lift fuel while they are waiting for Canal transit, but at present the size of Neopanamax vessels means they often need to wait in an area where bunkering cannot be performed.
Lindemon says that while historically offshore bunkering has been a taboo subject in Panama, a new area where this can take place has now been identified.
"Everything is going well with the authorities. Hopefully before the end of the year we will have the approval," he said.
"This could open a huge market."
