---

OW Bunker, one of the world’s leading suppliers and traders of marine fuel, has announced that it has launched a new barge in Gothenburg, adding to its physical supply base in Sweden.

Vadero Highlander is a double-hulled 1,862-dwt barge, first launched in 2003. It has a pumping capacity of 350 m3/hr, and will carry all grades of quality fuel oil products for customers.

The launch of Vadero Highlander will also see OW Bunker strengthen its strategic relationship with Northern Europe's leading passenger and freight RoRo operator DFDS.

"OW Bunker provides DFDS with a full service solution that is focused on managing the total cost of ownership of the bunkering process, ensuring that fuel procurement is a central part of DFDS’s overall operational strategy to increase efficiencies within the supply chain," OW Bunker said in a statement.

"Fast bunkering is a key focus in short sea shipping where time and efficiency is critical to success - an area and a market where OW Bunker has real expertise," the company added.

The move also represents continued physical expansion for OW Bunker within the region after a year of growth since the establishment of its physical operations in Gothenburg in 2009.

The company has a wide area of coverage within Sweden providing product deliveries in Gothenburg and other west coast ports, ports in southern Sweden, including Helsingborg and Malmö, as well as an offshore bunkering service for customers who want to maximise efficiencies and save on costs associated with bunkering in ports.

Commenting on the move, Jane Dahl Christensen, Executive Vice President, OW Bunker, said: “Launching a state-of-the-art, modern vessel and growing our physical operations highlights our commitment to the short-sea shipping market within the region, and the local and global customers operating within Scandinavian waters. As well as a developed supply base, we have a real understanding of the local market, which, combined with our global infrastructure enables us to provide customers with quick access to quality products wherever and whenever they need them, and importantly, at the right price. The partnership that we have with DFDS is testament to this.”