The strike by pilots and tugs in the Greek port of Piraeus was extended by another 48 hours Wednesday, which kept barge loadings from refineries suspended for the third consecutive day.
"Until further notice, the strike continues today [Tuesday] and tomorrow, and is bound to create problems now," a supplier in Piraeus said. The strike began at 6:00 am local time (0400 GMT) Monday, and was scheduled to last till 6:00 am on Wednesday.
Although bunker deliveries were largely unaffected Monday and Tuesday as suppliers had already loaded products on barges over the weekend, concerns grew whether deliveries would be workable for the next two days as volumes depleted.
"We have three stemmed vessels to supply but due to the strike, we cannot load from refineries," a second supplier in Piraeus said. "Hence, the business will now unfortunately need to be canceled."
In addition to the lower deliverable volumes, suppliers were also uncertain on the duration of the strike. "It seems hardly anyone would have enough product on barges for another two days, and who knows, the strike might also continue for another 48 hours Friday onwards," a third supplier said.
However, another supplier remained optimistic, and expected issues to be resolved before the weekend.
Although prices were heard higher on Wednesday, market participants said this was due to the higher Brent crude futures this week, which in turn supported CIF Med prices.
Delivered 380 CST high sulfur fuel oil was assessed at $246.50/mt Tuesday, down $2 from Monday, and was heard at $250/mt Wednesday.
Similarly, delivered marine gasoil also fell $1 to $455.50/mt Tuesday, and was heard at $462/mt Wednesday.
Refinery issues however persisted in Piraeus, with one refiner being out of product availability from last week. The expected date of product replenishment for the refinery remained uncertain, sources said.
