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Qatar Petroleum has confirmed that fuel oil bunkering for all vessels calling at Qatari ports has been made available as of today via a vessel-borne refuelling facility.

The state-owned firm says that bunkering has already commenced, with the supply operation "meeting all international maritime and safety standards".

Qatar Petroleum also confirmed that the first of several shipments carrying fuel oil (for bunkering purposes) has arrived safely at its anchorage in Ras Laffan.

Customer enquiries are being managed in collaboration with WOQOD's affiliate, WOQOD Marine, which is responsible for the sale and delivery of fuel oil via ship-to-ship transfer operations.

Commenting on the news, Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, president and CEO of Qatar Petroleum, said: "This is a first, and important, step towards self-reliance for fuel oil bunkering solutions for all vessels.

"Due to the unfortunate ongoing crisis, many of our clients were impacted by regional decisions limiting their ability to meet their commitments in a timely and cost-effective manner. We took it upon ourselves to assist our clients overcome this challenge by introducing measures to ensure the continuous and reliable energy supplies.

"This temporary ship-to-ship fuel bunkering facility will meet our clients' safety and commercial expectations, and will continue until a permanent solution is implemented. Qatar Petroleum is fast-tracking required studies and investments to provide independent, safe, and reliable bunkering capabilities."

Qatar Petroleum says it will be performing bunkering for the majority of Qatar's LNG vessel fleet and provide the service to other clients, such as Qatar Chemical & Petrochemical Marketing & Distribution Company (Muntajat), and ships loading products such as crude oil, LPG, condensate and naptha.

Image: Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi - President and CEO of Qatar Petroleum.