New fuel specifications requires shipment

22 February 2008
Media Release

New fuel specifications requires shipment from Spain

BP New Zealand today welcomed the “Cielo Di Guangzhou” into the Seaview port in Wellington which it has commissioned to meet a lack of product availability due to new fuel specifications.

The vessel is carrying over 40 million litres of 91 unleaded petrol.

New Zealand’s only refinery at Marsden Point near Whangarei is capable of producing approximately 50% of New Zealand’s petrol requirements. Traditionally the remaining required product is sourced from refineries in Australia and Asia.

Fuel specification changes that came into effect on 1 January this year have made the specification for 91 unleaded quite different to that of the rest of Asia and Australia.

This has created challenges in sourcing the required product and meant we have had to go further afield to find product that complies with the specification.

Managing Director Peter Griffiths said “to ensure continued supply of 91 unleaded to our customers in New Zealand it became necessary to look for a source outside of our ‘typical’ region. When sourcing this current cargo, the closest product that met the New Zealand specification we could find was in Spain.”

“Our challenges in sourcing 91 unleaded will continue for the remainder of the year until new refineries come on stream in Asia. This means we are likely to see more vessels from further afield on our shores delivering petrol for New Zealand motorists.”

The vessel left Castellon on the east coast of Spain on January 13. Its voyage to New Zealand took it through the Suez Canal and the Indian Ocean before arriving at Lyttelton on February 20th after 39 days at sea, covering over 10,000 nautical miles.

43 million litres of unleaded 91 petrol are on board the vessel, with just over 14 million litres being discharged in Lyttleton and the balance in Wellington. The vessel now heads to Singapore.

Cielo Di Guangzhou was registered in Liberia but her crew is made up of English, Irish and Indian nationals. The vessel is 174m long and has a max weight of 38,000 ton.

ENDS

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