Monjasa secures five tankers with a total 37,500 deadweight and thereby extends ownership of the supply chain across core markets in the Arabian Gulf, West Africa and the Panama Canal at a critical point of time in bunkering and shipping, the company said in its release.
Shipowners around the world are tightening marine fuel supplies ahead of the IMO2020 low-sulphur fuel transition effective by 1 January.
With global marine fuel logistics expected to be challenged on parameters such as flexibility and storage capacity due to the introduction of the new Very Low Sulphur Fuel Oil (VLSFO) products, Monjasa is active securing the right tonnage for its long-term bunker operations.
“Last year, we increased our total supply volume by 17% to 4.1 million tonnes of marine fuel and we continue to see a growing demand for our services. This is also part of the reason we are now purchasing five quality tankers,” says Group CEO, Anders Østergaard.
These five tankers can segregate between two and six different types of oil products onboard and this contributes to making them an attractive investment for us.
Leading up to the acquisitions, four tankers have previously been on bareboat charter by Monjasa. The high reliability of the tankers now leads to definitive Monjasa ownership.
All five tankers will be deployed for continued bunker operations in Monjasa core markets in the Arabian Gulf, West Africa and the Panama Canal. On 15 August, Monjasa took delivery of the first two tankers in Dubai. The remaining tankers will be delivered during the coming months.
In total, Monjasa controls some 20 tankers globally of which 10 are fully owned. It remains a priority to have the fleet composed by the right mix of chartered and owned tankers to ensure both operational and financial flexibility across the group.
The five tankers
Aarhus
3,798 dwt – year built 2009
Delhi
3,802 dwt – year built 2009
Amsterdam
8,839 dwt – year built 2009
Accra
8,839 dwt – year built 2010
Annie
12,222 dwt – year built 2004