From the Archives. Bunkering Down to Chasing Business is Nothing New…

The provision of ships’ fuel is a vital mega-billion-dollar industry that spans the globe. Significant clients of the bunker industry until the early 1960s were the whaling fleets who, during their annual movements to and from the Southern Ocean, took full stems of bunkers. So it is no surprise that South Africa’s Department of Transport and the South African Maritime Safety Authority has expanded services at the ports to include offshore bunkering and ship-to-shore transfers. Given the recent rerouting of containerships to avoid the Red Sea, this article provides an interesting history about this industry…