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UAE-based bunker supplier Gulf Petrochem has announced that it is now offering the physical supply of marine gas oil (MGO) on the River Thames, UK.

Deliveries are to be carried out using a barge the company has on an exclusive long-term charter named the Conveyer, which will be able to perform deliveries in all ports and wharfs along the Thames and Medway.

Additionally, Gulf Petrochem has expanded its fleet in Rotterdam with the time charter of the 4,200 dwt barge, the Melbourne.

Gulf Petrochem says the MGO barge will be based in Rotterdam and utilized to meet the increased demand it has witnessed in recent months.

Gulf Petrochem's new Thames operation - its first in the UK - comes less than 12 months after the company's first physical supply operation in Europe, at the port of Rotterdam, in July 2016. This was followed in October by the launch of physical bunker deliveries in Antwerp.

Back in February, Gulf Petrochem announced in its European expansion plan for 2017 that it was looking to expand its barge fleet in Europe, add a new physical area and another trading office in Europe during the course of this year. This was followed in May by the launch of a Russia and Baltic trading desk at its office in the Netherlands.

Commenting on the new Thames operation, Chris Todd, Head of Bunkers (West of Suez), said: "The UK has always been a market we are extremely interested in, and with us seizing the opportunity to supply physical on the Thames shows how fast the group can mobilise when we see interesting areas of expansion."

Todd added: "The Thames is our first in our UK portfolio and we expect to add to this over the coming months. With regards to the increase in fleet capacity in Rotterdam, this has been purely driven from a demand perspective so we can cater to our customers' needs."

Prerit Goel, Group Director at Gulf Petrochem, remarked: "Our experienced and dedicated team in the UK and Europe, supported by our global offices, will continue to supply our customers with consistently high-quality products and customer service to match. We expect to grow our UK and overall European offering throughout 2017 and capitalize on favourable market conditions."

Image: Prerit Goel, Group Director at Gulf Petrochem.