App helps source best fuels and lubricants

Bulugo enables ship operators to reduce the time and cost involved in sourcing fuel and lubricants by searching an online database of potential suppliers across several criteria including fuel type, port, date of availability and compliance with IMO sulphur regulations.

Operations director, Adrian Phillimore, said that the marine bunker industry will need to embrace digitalisation to overcome the challenges posed by IMO 2020 and shipping’s decarbonisation.
“Pressure to reduce operating costs whilst addressing climate change makes the bunker industry ripe for technological disruption,” he said. “Bulugo’s smart technology supported by our team’s experience in the marine industry will benefit all users of the platform.”

Bunker and lubricant trading is one of the few elements of shipping that remains relatively untouched by digitalisation. Opaque pricing, disparate parties and a high level of complexity mean that digital platforms can play an important role in making the market more transparent and less complicated.

On the lubricant side, there are more products than ever on the market, making matching the appropriate lubricant and fuel a more daunting task. Bulugo simplifies both elements enabling buyers to filter products to find compliant fuel and purchase the appropriate lubricants at the same time.