Shipowners are moving their bunkering operations further offshore in a bid to beat Panama Canal congestion, according to fuel supplier Monjasa.
Vessels take on 5m tonnes per year at the Cristobal and Balboa anchorages, but have seen waiting times spike due to low-water restrictions.
From an average of 36 vessels per day transiting the Panama Canal, only between 30 to 32 are now crossing, with container ships being prioritised for transit.
“This challenging situation has a spillover effect on the Panama Canal’s bunkering logistics as well,” bunker tanker owner Monjasa said.
On the Atlantic side, vessels typically wait around three to five at the outer anchorage for their transit.
But Monjasa reports ships delayed between 10 and 15 days, or even longer.
The company is working with local maritime authorities and shipowners to bring down the overall waiting time by moving refuelling operations to the outer anchorage.
Kristian Smith Hansen, trading director of Monjasa Americas, said: “The increased waiting time has a direct impact on vessels expecting to take bunkers in the Cristobal inner anchorage or when a vessel on the Atlantic side needs bunker-only calls.
“Therefore, we now see an increase in Atlantic outer anchorage fuel enquiries reflecting the time pressure and increased shipping costs that shipowners are currently facing.”
Space limited
Tanker operators such as Penfield Marine and Hafnia see the outer anchorage as increasingly viable with rising costs.
“Outer anchorage supply is very important for our operation,” Penfield bunker trader John Llewellyn said. “Not only is it right in the crosshairs of an important shipping lane, but our larger tankers can often not be accommodated at inner anchorage for bunkers.
Matias Engel, of Hafnia Bunkers, said: “The option to bunker at outer anchorage at Cristobal solves potential challenges with bunkering at inner anchorage such as draft limitation, restricted anchorage space and limited time for bunkering before transit. Furthermore, it also makes bunker-only calls at the Cristobal side more convenient.”
Monjasa said congestion has slightly improved recently. Vessels waiting to transit have dropped from 165 to 125. The company said a normal backlog would be about 90 ships.
But the supplier warned: “The fourth quarter of the year is historically the busiest season for the Panama Canal and Monjasa therefore expects the overall waiting time to increase during the coming months.”
In total, Monjasa supplied 6.4m tonnes of marine fuels in 2022, of which 2.65m tonnes were delivered across the Americas.
