Danish tanker and fuels group Monjasa has chartered a product tanker to boost its bunkering operations in the US Gulf.
It said the move comes five years after it started services in the Port of Houston.
The company has agreed charter terms for the 16,600-dwt Stenheim (built 2003) from Stenersen in Norway.
Monjasa expects key supply locations to include Galveston Offshore Lightering Area, Southwest Pass, South Sabine Pass and Offshore Corpus Christi.
The Stenheim will supply very low-sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) and gasoil.
The supplier already has three vessels in Houston delivering between 35,000 and 40,000 tonnes of marine fuels monthly.
“The Port of Houston continues to grow its importance as a trade gateway for the state of Texas, and the US as a whole, and recent years of infrastructure developments have led to more larger vessels calling [at] the port and increased cargo volumes,” Monjasa said.
The expanded operations focus primarily on the bigger oil, chemical and gas carriers that cannot necessarily access the bunkering locations in the Houston Ship Channel.
Monjasa’s trading manager for the Americas, Anastasios Manalis, said: “We are building on our local knowledge and strong supplier partnerships to add further flexibility for the increasing ship traffic in the area.
“Besides getting the logistics right, we are well aware that the marine fuel quality continues to be an important parameter in the US Gulf area.”
Monjasa operates 35 vessels worldwide and supplies 6.5m tonnes of marine fuels annually.
