Monjasa ups Panama presence with large bunker tanker

The tanker adds to two barges Monjasa manages in the Panama Canal but both on charter– one in Balboa and one in Cristóbal – and currently delivers around 40,000 tonnes of bunkers monthly. The company said it delivered 450,000 tonnes of marine fuel in the Panama Canal in 2018 claiming it step up as the 2nd largest local bunker supplier.

Every year, global shipowners and operators take around 4.5m tonnes of bunkers in the increasingly busy Panama Canal.

Currently the shipping and bunker industries are preparing to meet IMO’s environmental low-sulphur fuel requirements coming into effect on 1 January 2020. “As one of Panama’s leading suppliers seeing yearly sales volume of 450,000 tonnes of marine fuel, Monjasa thus plays a significant part in enabling this transition regionally,” the company said.

As part of a fleet reshuffle, Accra arrived in Panama after forming part of Monjasa’s West Africa bunker operation. The tanker fast received all safety and operational approvals from the Panama Maritime Authorities and completed her first fuel supply at Balboa Anchorage on 18 January.

“Today, the total fleet of bunker barges in Panama holds an average age of 31 years and 3,100 dwt. So, employing our own quality tanker brings new opportunities for shippers transiting the Canal and further helps us challenge status-quo in the local market,” explained Monjasa Americas managing director, Rasmus Jacobsen.