Zhoushan’s bunker operations suspended fully amid unusual run of typhoons

Bunkering operations at Zhoushan’s more sheltered Xiushandong and inner Mazhi anchorages have been suspended since Tuesday due to rough weather triggered by four successive tropical systems, according to a source.

IMAGE: Projected path of Typhoon Saudel. Central Weather Administration

The four systems — Saudel, Narra, Gaenari and Atsani — are currently active across the Northwest Pacific and South China Sea, creating an unusual cluster of storms.

Typhoon Saudel formed on 19 August and strengthened into a super typhoon before tracking towards China’s eastern coast. It is expected to approach the Zhejiang-Fujian coast between Thursday and Friday. Narra, meanwhile, formed on 21 August, lingered over the Beibu Gulf before making landfall in Hainan on Tuesday. Atsani subsequently joined the storm cluster.

The latest disruption follows a suspension at Zhoushan’s outer Tiaozhoumen and Xiazhimen anchorages, where bunkering has been halted since the weekend amid deteriorating weather.

The repeated weather-related disruptions have put further pressure to bunker availability in Zhoushan, where suppliers are already recommending lead times of around 10 days for VLSFO, LSMGO and HSFO.

Most suppliers expect bunker deliveries across the affected anchorages to resume around 29 August, when weather conditions are expected to improve, the source added.

By Tuhin Roy

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