Upon the horizon of a long-lived industry-government rift, South Africa’s most significant bunkering location, Algoa Bay, anticipates a resurgence in supply starting next week. Past reports citing Ship & Bunker unravel how the location plunged into a near-complete supply hiatus since the tail-end of September.
Such a shutdown traces its roots to the South African Revenue Service (SARS)’s decision to apprehend five vessels inclusive of bunker barges earlier that month. This abrupt move put a sudden halt to the bunker operations spearheaded by TFG Marine and Minerva Bunkering.
The Aftermath and a Glimpse of Hope
The aftermath was dire as it witnessed BP’s barge at Algoa Bay, known as the Amber II, facing detention later in the same month. However, in a turn of events powered by optimism, the Amber II is projected to recommence supply starting October 24th, loaded with Very Low Sulphur Fuel Oil (VLSFO), a revelation from a local source.
Meanwhile, another ship from BP’s fleet, the Al Safa, has been subjected to tank cleaning operations in Cape Town. Nevertheless, it is poised to resume supplying VLSFO and High Sulphur Fuel Oil (HSFO) at Algoa Bay around the same day.
Unresolved Mysteries of Algoa Bay
However, the situation surrounding Minerva and TFG’s vessels remains shrouded in uncertainty, yielding no fresh information, further fueling the market’s anticipation.
A Bunker Scandal Unearthed
In an assertive endeavor, SARS had penned a letter to local shipping industry representatives back in July. This communiqué served to disclose the fruits of an extended investigation probing the Algoa Bay bunker supply market.
The accusation was rife—it held that marine fuel loads were brought in from overseas into offshore storage facilities around Algoa Bay. Here, they were traded as bunkers without adhering to the mandate of proper registration and taxation as imports. This string of events was rather than considering the fuel load as a transshipped product—an intricate scandal that shook the heart of the bunkering landscape.
