Qatar Petroleum (QP) has said vessel-borne fuelling facility for all vessels calling on Qatari ports have been made available as of yesterday.
This fuel-oil bunkering solutions are available for all vessels lifting any Qatari seaborne imports or exports. The bunkering operations have commenced successfully after meeting all international maritime and safety standards.
QP also announced that the first of several shipments carrying fuel oil (for bunkering purposes) has arrived safely at its Ras Laffan anchorage.
The potential customer requests for bunkering and operations would be managed in collaboration with Woqod’s affiliate, Woqod Marine, which is responsible for the sale and delivery of fuel oil utilising ship-to-ship transfer operations.
“This is a first, and important, step towards self-reliance for fuel-oil bunkering solutions for all vessels,” QP president and chief executive Saad Sherida al-Kaabi said.
Due to the “unfortunate” ongoing crisis, many of its clients were “impacted” by regional decisions limiting their ability to meet their commitments in a timely and cost-effective manner, he said, adding “we took it upon ourselves to assist our clients overcome this challenge by introducing measures to ensure the continuous and reliable energy supplies.”
“This temporary ship-to-ship fuel bunkering facility will meet our clients’ safety and commercial expectations, and will continue until a permanent solution is implemented. QP is fast-tracking required studies and investments to provide independent, safe, and reliable bunkering capabilities,” al-Kaabi said.
QP will be catering for the majority of Qatar’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) vessel fleet and provide the service to other clients including Muntajat, Hamad Port, and potential free-on-board (FOB) clients of Qatar who load products such as crude oil, liquefied petroleum gas, condensate and naphtha.
Last week, QP’s Wave LNG Solutions and Shell Gas & Power Developments signed a framework agreement to develop LNG marine fuelling – or bunkering – infrastructure at strategic shipping locations across the globe.