Asia/Pacific News
Hambantota Sees Sixfold Rise in Bunker Demand in First Half of 2023
Sri Lanka's Hambantota International Port has seen its first-half bunker demand jump by almost six times from the same period of 2022.
The port saw bunker throughput of 520,000 mt in the first half of 2023, it said in an emailed statement this week, almost six times the level seen a year earlier.
The tanker Swarna Godavari recently delivered a 31,500 mt VLSFO cargo to the port's oil jetty.
A total of 143 ships called at Hambantota in January to June 2023, up from 50 ships in the first half of 2022.
""Marine fuel bunkers make up a large percentage of the throughput we have achieved so far and we are seeing the numbers steadily increasing," Tissa Wickramasinghe, chief operating officer of Hambantota International Port Group, said in the statement.
"This is mainly due to the close collaboration we have with our bunkering partner Sinopec Fuel Oil Lanka (SFOL).
Our increased throughput has also had a positive impact on the local community as well as local bunker suppliers.
"With the port continuing to achieve set targets and widening our range of services in the energy sector, we are steadily moving towards our goal of becoming a hub in the region."
