Dutch authorities have reportedly given global commodity trading firm Gunvor permission to upgrade its Rotterdam refinery with a delayed coker unit without first conducting any environment assessments.
The delayed coker unit will allow the refinery to reprocess fuel oil material, traditionally used as bunker fuel, into cleaner products.
Gunvor, which has not yet committed to the upgrade, is considering the move due to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) decision to mandate the consumption of 0.5% sulphur limit bunker fuel by 2020.
“Gunvor is currently studying several options for how best to respond to the IMO decision,” Gunvor spokesman Seth Pietras told Reuters.
“We have not made any decision yet.”
According to Reuters, several oil majors including ExxonMobil and Total have already made investments to upgrade their refineries in preparation for the upcoming 2020 IMO regulation.
Gunvor acquired the Rotterdam refinery from Kuwait Petroleum Europoort in 1 February, 2016.
Published: 26 January, 2018
Papers submitted to PPR7 questioning use of scrubbers as alternative compliance mechanisms for IMO 2020 regulations.
There is ‘significant interest’ from charterers for scrubber-fitted vessels, says feeder box shipping firm.
Exponent and Innospec advice on new complaint fuels characteristics and how vessels can prepare for them.
Compliance deadline coming fast, but shipping industry is still quite indecisive on which measures to take.
Preem AB planning to increase desulphurisation capacity of its Lysekil and Gothenburg refineries.
BIMCO argues for clear regulations for when and where the samples for fuel in use are taken.
‘The JMs have failed to discharge their duties by blindly helping the Banks mount a false case against the Defendant,’ wrote defence lawyers representing former IPP Director Dr Goh Jian Hian in court statement.
Lead prosecutor Andreas Myllerup Laursen aims for a fine and a prison sentence in the so-called Syria case scheduled to commence in Odense, Denmark on 26 October, writes the Danish publication.
In a modern re-telling of the story of David versus Goliath, local bunker barge owners/charterers successfully resisted claims brought in the Singapore courts by Phillips 66 for misdelivery of bunkers.
Bunker barge owners and operators; traders and suppliers; banks, including players in other countries, will have to re-examine respective operations, advises Helmsman Associate Director Jonathan Tan.
Vopak BL was a non-essential document with no contractual force and had no effect as a contract of carriage or as a document of title, states written Judgement issued by Singapore Court of Appeal.
Dwivedi Vivek Kumar ended his tenure as Global Head – Bitumen & Shipping & Regional Head – APAC at GP Global APAC on 10 November 2020 due to internal structuring of the GP Global Group.
