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Chilean supply firm Copec Marine Fuels has confirmed that its bunker tanker, the Tamina [pictured], will start to carry out deliveries from 1st November.

The vessel will mainly operate at the southern ports of Puerto Williams, Puerto Montt and Punta Arenas; however, it will also be used to support any contingencies that the company may have in Valparaiso with the supply of low-sulphur marine gas oil (MGO LS), Copec says.

The Ice-class, double-hull Tamina has a total storage capacity of 1,450 cubic metres. Built in 1979, the tanker has a length overall (LOA) of 67.5 metres and a breadth extreme of 10.62 metres.

Last month, Copec confirmed that the Tamina would be used primarily to deliver MGO LS to cruise ships calling at the strategic location of Puerto Williams during the summer season, which runs from October to March.

Located at the southern tip of Chile, Puerto Williams is a refuelling point used by cruise vessels sailing to Ushuaia, the Antarctic, the Falklands, Punta Arenas, and Puerto Montt, amongst other locations. Cruise ships that are less than 150 metres in length are able to bunker at berth, whilst those with a length greater than 150 metres are able to refuel at four anchorage points at the port.

Summer is the main season of the year for Copec in Punta Arenas, Puerto Williams and Puerto Montt. It takes around 28 hours to navigate between Punta Arenas and Puerto Williams, whilst the Argentinian port of Ushuaia is located just 40 kilometres from Puerto Williams.

At the time of writing, the Tamina is currently located at Puerto Montt, according to vessel-tracking data.