Piraeus bunkering operations back to full strength after adverse weather

Bunkering operations at Piraeus in Greece are returning to normal after adverse weather conditions over the last couple of days, the port authority told S&P Global Platts.

Tuesday has seen an improvement in the weather and the port is fully operational once again, with bunkering resuming in the morning, the agency said.

A market source told Platts on Monday one vessel was waiting outside the port as it had been partially closed due to bad weather on Sunday and was expected to fully reopen Monday evening.

Strong winds at the port caused delays over the weekend and into Monday as barges were unable to berth safely, however, the weather cleared and is no longer causing any issues, a second source said Tuesday.

As a result, the barge schedule at Piraeus is very tight at the moment as many vessels’ arrival has been delayed by weather.

This tightness is expected to remain in place at least until the end of the week and is not expected to completely clear until the end of March, sources said.

Platts assessed 380 CST fuel oil at Piraeus at $374/mt delivered Tuesday, up $1 from Monday’s assessment of $373/mt delivered. The reopening of the port did not have much of an impact on bunker prices as the day-on-day Piraeus move was in line with day-on-day changes at other eastern Mediterranean ports such as Istanbul.

Source: www.hellenicshippingnews.com