---

OW Bunker, one of the world's leading suppliers and traders of marine fuel and lubricants, has announced that it will supply low sulphur 1% RMG 380cst fuel from Balboa, Panama from mid-October 2012. The move will serve to meet the growing demand from customers transiting the North American ECA zones.

The company's local supply tanker, MT Star Alpha, has been released from dry-dock following modifications to the supply vessel's tanks to provide complete segregation of LSFO products. This also builds upon OW Bunker's recent launch of a Global Quality Control Standard, which provides customers with a pre-testing specification analysis of products to drive global claims for the entire OW Bunker Group below 1%.

Jan Christensen, Vice President, Physical Division, OW Bunker, commented: "The move to increase supplies of low sulphur products comes in response to the surge in demand from vessels on transit to the ECA zones. Along the US West Coast in particular supplies of low sulphur fuels, and the infrastructure to supply them, have been coming under strain since the implementation of the ECA in August this year. Panama is very well located to serve vessels transiting onto the West Coast, or through the Panama Canal and onto the East Coast of the United States."

Andrew Huzzard, Branch Manager, OW Bunker Panama, said: “We made a conscious decision to modify the Star Alpha specifically to cater for low sulphur supplies. Rather than rushing to market when the ECA came into force, our customers wanted us to respond to their demands in the right way.”

Christensen concluded: “By segregating tanks purely for the supply of low sulphur products, we can ensure the highest levels of quality, which is paramount for customers in optimising the performance levels of their vessels. With increasingly stringent regulation coming into force, monitoring quality by taking additional measures such as this is critical. The recent launch of our Global Quality Control Standard, and our global 1% claims target is further evidence of our continued commitment to our customers in providing them with the best quality products possible.”