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OW Bunker, one of the world’s largest suppliers and traders of marine fuel, today announced the creation of a new European Singapore Trading Desk in the UK.

The desk, which will be launched in early 2009 will streamline and pool all group knowledge on trading, physical supply, derivatives and risk management, providing support and information for its European customers on the Singapore market, the world’s largest bunkering hub.

Further Singapore-specific desks will be rolled out in Europe throughout 2009, as part of a dedicated strategy to provide customers with a complete trading solution and access to market knowledge and information 24 hours a day.

The trading desk will be based out of OW Bunker’s UK headquarters in Windsor, and will support all European trading offices by providing expert knowledge and up-to-date information on the Singapore market for European customers in their own time zones.

Maesy Koh, who worked as a physical bunker trader in OW Bunker’s Singapore office will head up the European Singapore Trading Desk team, reporting into Robert Preston, OW Bunker’s UK Managing Director. Koh will be supported by Bhanu Batta, a former derivatives metals trader at Barclays, and Anastasios Perros, an experienced bunker trader.

Robert Preston, Managing Director, OW Bunker UK, said: “Given the continued volatility in the global economy, our European customers need access to the latest data and information on the Singapore bunker market so that informed decisions can be made. As a global company, it is vital that all the Group’s knowledge is pooled into central locations, so that all our customers can utilise our in-depth understanding of the market dynamics, from derivatives to risk management and physical trading. The establishment of a European Singapore Trading Desk in the UK meets this demand perfectly.

As we move into what is predicted to be a tough 2009, it is vital that we work closely with our customers to ensure that their fuel procurement strategies are streamlined, maximizing efficiencies as well as profitability within their operations.”