Petrobras has suspended bunker fuel deliveries at the port of Rio Grande in southern Brazil after a tropical storm cut power to the terminal used to load its supply barges, according to Ship & Bunker.
The storm struck the city in the early hours of Monday, bringing winds exceeding 100 km/h and causing damage to local infrastructure, Ship & Bunker reports, citing an emailed notice from Petrobras’s bunkering division to customers.
Power Outage Halts Operations
According to Ship & Bunker, the Rio Grande Terminal is currently under a temporary suspension due to the power outage. Petrobras has not been able to provide a timeline for when services will resume.
“At this stage, it is not yet possible to reliably estimate when operations will be able to resume,” Petrobras said in the notice, as quoted by Ship & Bunker. The company added that it lacks “sufficient visibility to confirm whether operations will be restored later today, tomorrow, or whether additional time will be required to recover the infrastructure and resume normal activities.”
Petrobras said it is continuing to monitor the situation at the terminal and will issue updates to customers once there is greater clarity on a restart timeline, Ship & Bunker reports.
Not the First Weather Disruption
Ship & Bunker notes that this is not the first time weather has disrupted bunkering operations at the port. The outlet reports that deliveries at Rio Grande were previously suspended following severe flooding in the region.
Does This Matter to You?
For those tracking bunker fuel availability along South American trade routes, disruptions at Rio Grande carry practical implications. Vessels scheduled to call at the port for bunkering may face delays until Petrobras confirms when barge loading operations can resume.
Given that Ship & Bunker reports this is a recurring issue at the terminal, tied to previous flooding as well as the current storm damage, operators planning bunker stops in the region may want to build in contingency time or confirm supply status directly with Petrobras before finalizing schedules. The lack of a firm restart estimate means uncertainty could persist for an unspecified period.
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
