Weather Disruptions Cost Zhoushan Around 200 Bunker Operations in August: Spotbarge
Key Takeaways
- •Around 200 bunker operations were lost at Zhoushan in August alone, affecting an estimated 200,000-250,000 mt of bunker deliveries.
- •Spotbarge recorded a 34% decline in bunker deliveries to oil tankers in July and August, the largest drop among tracked vessel segments.
- •Bunkering suspensions were triggered by Super Typhoon Bavi from July 7, Typhoon Hagupit from August 4, and four successive tropical systems around August 27.
- •Zhoushan is China's biggest bunkering hub, and weather outages there can shift demand toward alternative hubs such as Singapore and Hong Kong.
Severe weather disrupted bunkering across China's Zhoushan region throughout July and August, with around 200 bunker operations lost in August alone, impacting an estimated 200,000-250,000 mt of bunker deliveries.
The disruptions significantly affected bunkering activity in the region, Sebastiaan Kosman, founder of analytics firm Spotbarge, told Ship & Bunker on Tuesday.
Zhoushan is one of the world's largest marine bunker ports and the biggest bunkering hub in China, so weather-related outages there can ripple across regional fuel supply planning, as vessels typically reschedule deliveries or seek alternatives at nearby hubs such as Singapore and Hong Kong. The July-August period also coincides with the peak of the Northwest Pacific typhoon season, when anchorage suspensions at exposed outer anchorages are a recurring operational risk.
Spotbarge, which analyses bunkering activity based on AIS data and other sources, recorded a 34% decline in bunker deliveries to oil tankers during July and August, the largest drop among the vessel segments it tracks. Deliveries also fell 32% for bulk carriers, 25% for container ships, 20% for crude tankers, and 20% for cargo ships.
Bunkering at Zhoushan's outer and inner anchorages was suspended from the morning of July 7 due to adverse weather brought by Super Typhoon Bavi, which tracked towards Taiwan and China's eastern coast. Operations were disrupted again in August after Typhoon Hagupit made landfall on August 4, with bunkering at Zhoushan's outer anchorages, including Tiaozhoumen and Xiazhimen, affected by the weather.
Around August 27, a separate weather event led to further disruption. Bunkering at the more sheltered Xiushandong and inner Mazhi anchorages was suspended due to rough weather associated with four successive tropical systems: Saudel, Narra, Gaenari, and Atsani.
The concentration of back-to-back storms this season underscores the importance of AIS-based monitoring and contingency planning for suppliers and ship operators; whether delivery volumes recover in September, and how the lost operations are rescheduled, will be worth watching in coming weeks.
Source: Ship & Bunker
