GP Global delivers maiden IMO 2020 compliant marine fuel to Fujairah port

September 27, 2019: GP Global has performed its first low sulphur fuel oil (LSFO) bunkering operation at the Port of Fujairah enabling it to supply adjoining ports too with International Maritime Organization (IMO) 2020 compliant standard fuel oil. The maiden delivery was made via its 6,000-tonnes bunker barge. Effective from January 2020, IMO 2020 directive sets global sulphur limit of 0.50 percent from 3.5 percent.

Anil Keswani, head of bunkering, East of Suez, GP Global, said, “We are thankful to the authorities of the Port of Fujairah and our partners for their continued trust in us, which has enabled us to undertake the first bunkering of LSFO, just in time as the IMO 2020 takes effect next year. We are committed to supporting our partners and clients in meeting specifications, which will contribute a long way to securing a cleaner marine environment.”

GP Global’s GPB1 is capable of delivering a comprehensive suite of residual and distillate marine fuels, including low-sulphur marine gasoil (LSMGO), LSFO, 180 centistoke (CST) and 380 CST at the UAE ports. The company has three more barges at Fujairah of which the largest GBP2, which will be dedicated exclusively for LSFO to meet the growing requirements in the region, expected from mid-October.

The achievement by GP Global follows the announcement by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) regarding the specification for IMO 2020 grade bunkers. The publicly available specification describes how the current ISO 8217 standard can be applied for the new fuels, with technical advice for kinematic viscosity, cold flow properties, stability and ignition characteristics, among others. GP Global’s LSFO serves as a cost-effective fuel, which conforms to all environmental standards outlined.

Headquartered in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), GP Global is one of the leading players in the oil industry, specialising in oil trading and bunkering, oil refining, grease manufacturing, oil storage terminals, bitumen manufacturing, and shipping and logistics. It has its presence in South Asia, Far East Asia, Africa and Europe.