ingapore has been able to encourage oil majors to make use of its strategic location to produce and export to the booming markets of Asia. Singapore became a key refining centre and a distribution centre for refined oil products. The need for storage and terminalling prompted players like Vopak and Oiltanking to set up operations in the country in the 80’s. Singapore is now the world’s top bunkering port. Today, on average, a vessel calls at Singapore for bunkering every half an hour, and bunker sales exceeded 20.8 million tons in 2003.