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Bunker seller Monjasa has praised its Senior Operator in Panama, Jose Angel Arauz, for his role in the rescue of three local firefighters involved in a boat accident.

According to Monjasa, Arauz was "quick to initiate and lead the rescue", which took place on October 5 off Panama City.

The marine fuel supplier congratulated its Senior Operator for a "job well done" and for performing "hands-on seamanship the way it is supposed to be".

Arauz joined Monjasa at the start of 2015 as Operations Coordinator, where he was responsible for daily operations and coordinating bunker deliveries. He was then named Senior Operator in June 2016 in a role that involves supervising the performance of operations in the Americas.

Prior to joining Monjasa, Arauz served as a deck officer at Boluda Corporacion Maritima.

Monjasa in the Panama Canal

Monjasa has been active in the Panama Canal since 2011 and established a physical presence for supply operations and bunker trading in Panama City in 2015.

Last year, the company explained that it had seen an increase in supply volumes since the launch of the new locks in 2016; that it was delivering between 35,000 and 40,000 metric tonnes of oil products in Panama per month; and that it was seeing a trend towards larger single fuel supplies in the area.

Monjasa also has a customer satisfaction programme in the Canal for each supply operation. COO Svend Stenberg Molholt told Bunker Index earlier this year that the programme involves handing out customer satisfaction surveys to clients - both for physical supplies and back-to-back deliveries - as part of the company's overall strategy to improve quality and compliance.

"Engaging in those dialogues in places where they have never seen a customer satisfaction survey has just increased the trust in us. Also, we believe that it shows to everybody operating in the market that we need to raise the bar together; and I think that's good not only for Monjasa but also for the bunkering industry," Molholt explained in March.