Bangchak: Hormuz crude’s Singapore stop standard co-loading practice

Bangchak Corporation has issued a clarification over a crude oil shipment from the Middle East after questions were raised about a tanker that passed through the Strait of Hormuz and made a stop in Singapore before heading to Thailand.

The issue was raised by Chaichana Detdecho, a party-list MP and deputy leader of the Democrat Party in the opposition, who questioned reports that a crude oil vessel travelling through Hormuz had unloaded part of its cargo in Singapore before continuing on to Thailand.

In response, Bangchak said the shipment in question was transported under a co-loading arrangement, a standard industry practice in which crude oil for more than one customer is carried on the same vessel to improve transport efficiency.

For this particular voyage, the company said another customer on the same shipment had Singapore as its delivery destination. As a result, part of the cargo was unloaded there first in line with the planned delivery schedule, before the vessel continued on to Thailand.

Bangchak said the tanker then proceeded to deliver its remaining crude cargo to the port serving the Bangchak Sriracha refinery.

The company added that details concerning the other customer were commercially sensitive and could not be disclosed publicly.

However, Bangchak said it had already provided the relevant information to the concerned state agencies from the outset, when it first coordinated with the Thai government for assistance.

It also said senior executives had already explained the facts of the case to the Energy Minister.