China's Thirst for Gasoline Sees Barges Clog Up Amsterdam's Port
- Dozens of barges wait to put gasoline onto ocean-going tankers
- Eastern China provinces need more gasoline blending components
Oil tanker barge Ocean, operated by Jaegers Shipping BV, sails on the Caland Canal in Rotterdam, Netherlands, on Sunday, Feb. 14, 2016. The cost of shipping heating oil and gasoline by barge along the Rhine from Europe's oil-trading hub in Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp has risen as the falling water level limited the volume of fuel carried on vessels.
Photographer: Jasper Juinen/BloombergChina’s switch to higher quality gasoline is being felt half a world away as barges bringing supplies for export clog up Amsterdam’s port, which ships more of the fuel than anywhere else.
The Asian country’s government ordered eleven eastern provinces and cities to switch to higher quality gasoline as well as diesel as of January. That’s boosted orders from Europe of an oil product that is used to upgrade gasoline because independent refineries don’t have the capacity to process enough fuel themselves, according to Energy Aspects Ltd.