Petrobras Launches Barge Bunkering Services at the Port of Suape
Key Takeaways
- •Petrobras can now supply very low sulfur fuel oil and low sulfur marine gas oil via barge at the Port of Suape, supplementing its existing pipeline operations.
- •The company received its final operational licenses and has already completed two trial barge deliveries to its own vessels at the port.
- •Barge deliveries are expected to accelerate bunkering operations and allow Petrobras to reach a wider range of berths and anchorages within the port complex.
- •The Port of Suape is a major industrial hub and serves as a strategic refueling stop for maritime routes connecting South America, Europe, and West Africa.
Brazil's state-controlled energy major Petrobras has announced that it is now ready to supply very low sulfur fuel oil (VLSFO) and low sulfur marine gas oil (LSMGO) by barge to berthed vessels at the Port of Suape, located in the northeastern state of Pernambuco.
Previously, Petrobras supplied bunker fuel at the port only via ex-pipe (pipeline) delivery, limiting refuelling to vessels at berths connected to pipeline infrastructure. The company can now deliver fuel by both barge and ex-pipe, a development that a trader told ENGINE is expected to make bunkering operations at the port easier and faster, while also enabling Petrobras to reach vessels at a wider range of berth and anchorage positions within the port complex.
"This represents an important expansion of our supply network in Brazil," Petrobras stated in a note to clients.
Following the issuance of its final operational licences, Petrobras has already completed two barge bunker deliveries to its own vessels at the port.
The Port of Suape is one of Brazil's largest industrial and cargo ports, handling containers, bulk cargo, and liquid bulk. Situated on the northeastern coast of Brazil, Suape serves as a strategic refuelling and transhipment hub for vessels trading between South America, West Africa, and Europe. The addition of barge bunkering is expected to give shipowners and operators more flexibility when refuelling at the port, potentially strengthening Suape's appeal as a bunkering destination relative to other regional ports.
VLSFO and LSMGO have been the primary compliant bunker fuels for the global shipping fleet since the International Maritime Organization's 2020 sulfur cap regulation came into effect, limiting sulfur content in marine fuels to 0.50%.
Petrobras supplies VLSFO and LSMGO at numerous other locations across Brazil, including the ports of Açu, Angra dos Reis, Aratu, Belém, Fortaleza, Itacoatiara, Itaqui, Madre de Deus Terminal, Manaus, Niterói, Paranaguá, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande, Salvador, Santos, São Francisco do Sul, São Sebastião, Sepetiba OPL, and Vila do Conde.
Source: ENGINE,