The Port of Rotterdam said 31 supertankers loaded fuel oil from its facilities last year, down from 35 vessels in 2010, Bloomberg reports. A total 7.9 million metric tons of the product were loaded onto very large crude carriers in 2011, or an average 255,000 tons per VLCC, and were transported to Singapore, the port said in a statement posted on its website today. Twenty-two of the ships combined unloading crude with loading fuel oil, it said.
“A combination trip is relatively profitable for ship owners in paying port dues,” the port said. The average VLCC rate for a Rotterdam to Singapore voyage was $3.5 million.
The biggest charterer for the route was Cargill Inc., with seven tankers carrying 1.85 million tons of fuel oil. Gunvor Group Ltd. was the second-largest with four VLCCs.
“A combination trip is relatively profitable for ship owners in paying port dues,” the port said. The average VLCC rate for a Rotterdam to Singapore voyage was $3.5 million.
The biggest charterer for the route was Cargill Inc., with seven tankers carrying 1.85 million tons of fuel oil. Gunvor Group Ltd. was the second-largest with four VLCCs.