Kuzey Feneri Denizcilik

An independent bunkering company, est. 2011

Write to us

Quiet hands at the anchorage.

A tanker at anchor in flat water at first light, a small bunker barge moored against its hull
Fig. 1 Outer anchorage, first light. The barge has been alongside since four; by breakfast the hose is off.

Kuzey Feneri Denizcilik is a small, independent bunkering company. We source fuel for ships, arrange its delivery alongside and keep the paperwork honest, in eleven ports, for owners we know by name.

Write to us Read the letter from Kuzey Feneri Denizcilik

A letter from Kuzey Feneri Denizcilik

Most of what we do is invisible when it goes well. A master asks for fuel in a port he reaches on Thursday; on Thursday the barge is there, the grade is right, the surveyor has the seals, and the delivery note matches what went into the tanks. Nobody remembers a call like that, which is exactly the point.

We started Kuzey Feneri Denizcilik in 2011 with three people and one rule: the person who quotes your fuel answers for it until the last sample is tested.1 Fifteen years later there are thirty-four of us, and the rule has not changed. We have turned down growth that would have broken it.

We work independently of suppliers, refineries and trading books. That lets us say no to a cheap barge with a poor record, and tell you plainly when a port is short and you would do better to lift earlier.2

If that sounds like the kind of company you would like to work with, write to us. Name a vessel, a port and a rough date, and we will take it from there.

Helena VargaManaging partner, writing from Istanbul

A wooden desk at dusk with a paper chart, brass dividers and a parallel ruler, an anchorage beyond the window
Fig. 2The Istanbul office at the end of a long day.

A glossary of the work

Six words every bunker call depends on, and what each one means when we are the ones holding it.

Stemnoun

A confirmed order for fuel: grade, quantity, port and delivery window, agreed between buyer and supplier.

With us We send the stem back in plain words before anyone signs, so the master, the operator and the barge are reading the same thing.

Nominationnoun

The formal booking of a barge, a berth or a time slot with the physical supplier and the port.

With us Nominated early, confirmed twice, and checked again against the vessel’s latest ETA.

Alongsideadverb

The moment the barge is made fast against the ship and delivery can begin.

With us Someone at Kuzey Feneri Denizcilik is awake for it, whatever the hour in Istanbul, and the chief engineer has a number that answers.

Samplenoun

Sealed bottles drawn continuously during delivery: one for the ship, one for the barge, one for the laboratory.

With us Seal numbers are recorded on the delivery note and shared with you before the barge casts off.

BDNabbreviation

Bunker delivery note. The signed record of what was delivered, required under MARPOL Annex VI.

With us We read every BDN against the stem and the soundings, and raise a difference within the hour, not the month.

Claimnoun

A dispute over quantity or quality after delivery. Rare, slow and expensive when handled badly.

With us The person who quoted your fuel runs the claim, with the samples, surveys and paperwork already in one file.

Six hours at Gibraltar

A photographic note from the Bay of Gibraltar, where a third of our deliveries take place.

A small bunker barge under way across a calm, hazy bay at dusk, its masthead light just lit
Fig. 318:40. The barge casts off for the first ship of the night.
Three sealed glass bottles of amber fuel with blank paper tags on a steel deck
Fig. 403:15. Retained samples, sealed and tagged.

The best bunker call I had last year was the one I don’t remember. The barge came, the numbers matched, and I went back to sleep.

Chief engineer, a 74,000 dwt product tankerQuotation and attribution
Gloved hands tightening the bolts of a bunker manifold flange
Fig. 504:02. Manifold made up, ready to pump.
A heavy black bunker hose lying in a curve across a barge deck, seen from above
Fig. 609:30. Hose off, deck washed, file opened.

The grades we keep

Proposed supply range: the grades, their specifications and where we can usually deliver with three days’ notice.

GradeSulphur, maxViscosity at 50 °CTested toUsually available
VLSFOVery low sulphur fuel oil0.50 %80 to 380 cStISO 8217:2017All eleven ports
LSMGOLow sulphur marine gasoil0.10 %2 to 6 cStaISO 8217:2017All eleven ports
HSFOHigh sulphur fuel oil3.50 %180 to 380 cStISO 8217:2017Eight ports, scrubber-fitted ships
B24, B30Biofuel blends, FAME0.50 %On requestISO 8217:2024bIstanbul, Gibraltar, Las Palmas
B100Neat biofuel, trial supplyNegligibleOn requestEN 14214Istanbul, by arrangement

a Kinematic viscosity at 40 °C for distillates. b Supplied with a proof of sustainability on request. Supply range, specifications, testing standards and sustainability documentation are subject to confirmation; every stem carries its own specification.

Our correspondents

Five offices, eleven ports, and a telephone that is always answered. These are the people at the other end of it.

Out of hours, every call is answered by whichever of the five offices is awake. Istanbul desk +90 212 000 00 00

Write to us

Fill in the blanks, or as many as you know. A partner replies within the hour, day or night.

Dear Kuzey Feneri Denizcilik,

Our vessel calls at around , and will need roughly tonnes of .
Please reply to at .

Opens your email app. You can review the letter before sending.
Or write directly to sales@kuzeyfeneri.com.