Page 42: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (May 2001)

Fuels and Lubes

Size Matters

The bunker industry is changing.

Bunker buyers want bigger stems, broader choice of grades, more delivery locations, higher standards, additional services, and consistency. Port authori- ties also want consistency, along with no pollution, more monitoring, increased regulation, heightened benchmarking, enhanced co-operation, and better trans- parency. To keep everyone happy, bunker suppliers have to rethink their approach to the market. A local, nation- al or even regional approach is no longer sufficient. To be long-term player in today's marine fuels business, suppliers will have to embrace globalization, and make their service worldwide in scope and application.

Globalization has already transformed many international businesses such as the airline industry, banking and com- munications. Shipping has not been left untouched. Buyers are getting together - or Digital Load Sharing for Diesel & Gas Engines?

Governor Control Systems, Inc. can meet your speed and load sharing needs with Woodward's 230ID Digital

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DOLPHIN RUBBER FENDERS

ALL TYPES / ALL APPLICATIONS

Pneumatic Fenders DockFenders Ship Fenders

Engineered & Manufactured by:

KUMNAM CHEMICAL, INC. 348-3, Chung Chun-Ri, Chillye- Myun

Kimhae, Kyungnam, Korea

Tel: 82 (55) 346-3313

Fax: 82 ( 55) 346-3137

Distributed in the Americas by:

DOLPHIN INTERNATIONAL, CO. 881 SW 59th Avenue

Ft. Lauderdale, Florida 33317

Tel: (954) 581-4858 Fax: (954) 581-9892

E-mail: [email protected] www.dolphinfenders.net

By Peter Healy, director,

ExxonMobil Fuels

Maersk and

Sealand, P&O and Nedlloyd,

NOL and Amer- ican President

Lines, Carnival and everyone who owns a cruise ship.

Ships are get- ting bigger too: 6,000 to 8,000 teu con- tainerships are the norm in the box trade, and they are thirsty beasts. Con- sider also the potential demand for bunkers from the 10,000 to 12,500 teu vessels in development. Cruise ships are growing as well. Royal Caribbean Inter- national recently launched its Explorer of the Seas, a 142,000-gt titan that can easily swallow up more than 2,000 tons of bunkers at a single sitting.

The message to bunker suppliers is clear. They too must get bigger if they are to service this new market. Small companies will be able to find niche markets in which to survive, but to be a true player companies will have to grow, or go.

Already, this trend is taking shape in the industry. Among the oil majors, newly-forged entities such as TotalFi- naElf, BP Amoco Arco (now simply BP) and ExxonMobil have created more expansive supply global networks.

Among the independents, a number have established strategic alliances and broader supply structures. This not only means more deliveries in more ports, but also results in improved availability of fuel grades across the supply chain. The further your reach, the farther you can source product. Moreover, extensive networks mean wider availability of bunkers that meet the strictest quality and environmental standards. As the demands associated with bunkers increase, those in the industry will find that the best way to react is by associat- ing themselves with the adage that big is indeed better.

This year's SeaTrade Exhibition in Miami, Fla. from March 5-8, provided a platform for mem- bers of the industry to get together with myriad of media outlets, as well as with each other.

MR/EN's senior editor, Regina Ciardiello, (left), caught up with Brian Fournier, presi- dent, Portland Tugboat; Ben Snow, manager

Marine Operations & Administration, Port of

Portland, Maine; Barkley Wilkins, marketing manager of Hvide Marine Towing, Tampa, Fla; and Amy Powers, marketing manager, Port of

Portland, Maine, at one of the conference's many networking events.

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