Bunkering Industry Seeks Relief To Stay Afloat

The bunkering industry has called on the government to relax quarantine measures for incoming vessels and offer a HK$32 million lifeline for the sector hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

The trade said sales volume has dropped by 70 percent since the outbreak began a year ago, resulting in a sharp drop in income for about 1,000 workers operating 160 bunker tanks.

It also said the industry has not benefitted from any rounds of anti-epidemic funds given out by the government so far.

The trade is seeking HK$200,000 in relief for each bunker tank.

In a protest held by the trade at Victoria Harbour on Thursday, 18 boats displayed banners which said "The government bans shipping without giving us subsidies" and "To say Hong Kong port is open is empty talk".

Hong Kong ranks among the world’s top-five bunkering ports by volume but could lose its position because of the pandemic amid regional competition, according to transport sector legislator Frankie Yick.

Among the coronavirus restrictions facing the industry is requiring crews of fishing and cargo vessels to be quarantined for 14 days upon arrival.

“People are not allowed to come in right now, but the ships are still going around the world. So where do they go? They go to Taiwan, they go to Singapore for bunkering," he said.

"We don’t want them to leave Hong Kong as much as we can. Once they go, they find it could be even more convenient or it could be cheaper over there, so then they won’t come back. So this is the worry that we have."

Addressing claims that foreign crews brought the virus, triggering the third wave of the pandemic, Yick insisted the industry has changed its way of fuelling, so no interaction with cross-border crew is needed.

“According to their understanding, [the local crew] might have to go up to the ocean-going vessel to do the connection for the piping so to do the refuelling. I said, ‘No, it’s not the case.’ The hose is being lift up by means of the rope or chain, then the people on board of the ship will do the connection by themselves.

“There are some transferal documents. They will use a basket to lower down from the boat. Then before they take it up, they spray alcohol to kill all that sort of virus before they pick it up by their own hands. I would say all the precautionary measures have been done, so the government should do some sort of rethinking,” Yick said.