Credit crunch, Quality crunch(?) and bunkers suppliers
Bunkers may well be the biggest single expense item for the ship operator, be he the owner or time-charterer.
As more and more is squeezed out of the barrel of oil, bunker fuel quality problems increase.
Issues:
· What of the regulations on ship air emissions – which themselves are having an impact on bunker quality?
· What of the rights on the unpaid bunker supplier? Indeed, what are the rights and responsibilities of each of the parties in the perhaps extended chain between the supplier and buyer?
· What if an intermediate bunker trader is bankrupt?
· What if the charterer is bankrupt?