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Bunker barge deliveries restarted at the Spanish port of Malaga on Sunday 2nd April with Peninsula Petroleum's supply of marine fuel to the cruise ship Pullmantur Horizon.

During the delivery operation, which took around four hours to complete, Peninsula supplied the vessel with 100 tonnes of distillate product and 650 tonnes of fuel oil using a barge sourcing product from Algeciras.

The introduction of barge deliveries in Malaga will not only reduce the time it takes to complete a supply operation, but also makes it possible to organize larger-sized deliveries, which in turn will make the port a more attractive proposition for shipping companies.

Speaking to Bunker Index on Tuesday, a representative of Marmedsa - the shipping agency to which the barge was consigned - said that he couldn't recall the last time a bunker barge delivery was performed in Malaga, but stated that one hadn't been made "over the last few years".

He also added that Peninsula Petroleum was only recently granted a licence to supply by barge at Malaga.

In terms of passenger figures, Malaga is the fifth-biggest cruise port in Spain after Barcelona, Baleares, Las Palmas and Santa Cruz de Tenerife. According to data for 2014, the Andalucian port received 407,870 passengers and was ranked 35th in Europe.

The 5,632-deadweight Pullmantur Horizon began its first trip of the spring cruise season on 2nd April. At the time of writing, the vessel is due to arrive at Porto Torres, Italy, on 4th April.

Image: The Pullmantur Horizon is supplied with marine fuel by barge in Malaga on 2nd April 2017.