Aramco Trading Company (ATC) said on Tuesday about the bunkering operations, commenced at Saudi Arabia's Yanbu Industrial Port in conjunction with the Ministry of Energy, the Saudi Customs Authority, and the Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani).

Aramco Trading Company (ATC), a wholly-owned affiliate of Aramco and its commercial trading arm, declared on Tuesday that it had begun bunkering activities at Saudi Arabia's Yanbu Industrial Port in partnership with the Ministry of Energy, the Saudi Customs Authority, and the Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani).

The ATC has commissioned the MT Halki, a 6,000 deadweight tonne (DWT) barge outfitted using mass flow metres. Its maiden delivery of 1,600 metric tonnes (MT) of extremely low sulphur fuel oil to MT Lake Trout was in accordance with International Maritime Organization standards, which demand a maximum sulphur content of 0.5%. The logistics turnaround time was likewise in accordance with international norms.

At Yanbu, ATC maintains storage and blending facilities proficient in supplying up to 150,000 MT of bunker supplies every month, with the possibility for additional expansion.

“ATC wants to deliver a world-class bunker supply service, following industry best practices to assure a safe, dependable, and competitive package to ship owners under one of the world's busiest maritime routes,” said Ibrahim Al-Buainain, CEO of ATC.

Yanbu is ideally positioned in the Red Sea southeast of the Suez Canal, and we want to give ship owners certainty regarding pricing, availability, quality, and logistics to realize Yanbu's capability as a bunkering center in the country.”