not really in DPRK LOL but what if your ship need bunker in port that you DONT KNOW ?
You could be the expert of bunkering in Singapore or Fujairah , you know how many barges this supplier have, what is their barge name, how much they charge for small quantity, normally what ETA in advance they will experience barging tight, you know all the terms and conditions , “Supply barge figures MFM barge figures final and binding etc”. However tonight your Captain message you and say, ” Hey man i need some MGO in Kurteh ( no worry if you don’t know, answer at the end, if you know, awesome bro keep reading) , and you are stunned, you have no idea who is the supplier there( if any), you have no idea what price in that port, and the Captain need 20MT MGO NOW ( yeah its always 20MT).
Few things you want to consider when you need to lift bunkers in unfamiliar port.
1. Ask what is the specification, don’t settle for “Local spec”
In some ports certain supplier don’t offer ISO spec, like Vietnam / Indonesia, and some domestic bunker in China, always ask for the spec sheet, and compare it one by one with ISO spec, discuss with your technical team if its feasible, as its very difficult to claim any damage if the sales terms is “As per local spec”.
2. Always go through a purchase channel with credit
Again, even the local spec is guaranteed , it might not met, if you pay direct to supplier and later on you cant find them then you are screwed. Also in certain port , the amount of money regarding bunkers can be HUGE in certain country. I personally have a case 6 years ago, after i CIA a supplier in Chittagong and the ship take bunkers and when we try to get back the remaining balance, we got a email reply that the partner is being “murdered” and he take the money with him, the drama continue until the “Dead partner” open another company and start calling me again.
3. Always check and double confirm the regulation , is the bunker tax-free or with tax
In most of the ports, you will almost know immediately, but also in certain ports in the world, they tax will implied after they supply the bunkers and the custom find out tax is applicable ( like Malaysia), also check in advance and avoid the extra 6-10% extra which you might need to pay after taking bunkers.
Hope we all have a smooth delivery in “Weird” port, until next time
(Kurteh is a small port in Malaysia, and we can supply MGO there, if you need a quote, email to Singapore@Oil-marketing.com)
