Severe weather across July and August disrupted bunkering operations in China’s Zhoushan region, resulting in the loss of approximately 200 bunker operations in August alone, according to Ship & Bunker.
The disruptions affected an estimated 200,000 to 250,000 mt of bunker deliveries, Sebastiaan Kosman, founder of analytics firm Spotbarge, told Ship & Bunker. Spotbarge tracks bunkering activity through AIS data and other sources.
Sharp Declines Across Vessel Segments
According to Ship & Bunker, Spotbarge recorded significant drops in bunker deliveries across multiple vessel types during the July-August period. Oil tankers saw the steepest decline at 34%, the largest drop among all tracked segments.
Bulk carriers experienced a 32% fall in deliveries, while container ships saw a 25% decline. Crude tankers and cargo ships both recorded 20% reductions, Ship & Bunker reports.
A Series of Weather Events
The disruptions stemmed from multiple weather systems affecting the region over a roughly two-month span, according to Ship & Bunker. Bunkering at Zhoushan’s outer and inner anchorages was first suspended on the morning of July 7 due to Super Typhoon Bavi, which moved toward Taiwan and China’s eastern coast.
A second major disruption followed after Typhoon Hagupit made landfall on August 4, affecting outer anchorages including Tiaozhoumen and Xiazhimen, Ship & Bunker reports.
A further disruption occurred around August 27, when rough weather linked to four successive tropical systems—Saudel, Narra, Gaenari, and Atsani—forced the suspension of bunkering at the more sheltered Xiushandong and inner Mazhi anchorages, according to the report.
Does This Matter to You?
Zhoushan is a major bunkering hub in China, and disruptions of this scale may be relevant to operators and traders with vessels calling in the region or relying on its supply chain during typhoon season. Repeated suspensions across outer and inner anchorages, as described by Ship & Bunker, indicate that weather-related delays affected multiple anchorage points rather than being isolated to a single location.
The scale of the decline—particularly the 34% drop for oil tankers—suggests that vessel segments calling at Zhoushan for bunkers experienced meaningful scheduling impacts during this period. Charterers and vessel operators planning bunker stems in the region during typhoon season may find this data useful for understanding historical patterns of disruption, based on what Spotbarge’s AIS-based tracking has shown.
Gulf Bunkering does not provide operational or security guidance. This article is for informational purposes only. Operators should consult flag state authorities, P&I clubs, and relevant advisories for decisions relating to transit planning.
Sources: Ship & Bunker
