The bunkering industry is not for the faint-hearted. Deals worth millions are struck over phone calls, ships wait at anchorage burning fuel by the hour, and traders balance on a tightrope of price, supply, and—critically—credit exposure.

In an industry where margins are thin and the stakes high, one bad credit call can pull the whole operation under. Here are a few true-to-life incidents (names changed, but the lessons are very real) that highlight just how important it is to keep a sharp eye on customer credit exposure.

 Case #1: The Dubai Default

“We’ve bunkered the vessel. Payment will come tomorrow,” said the operations contact. That “tomorrow” never came.

A small regional supplier operating in Fujairah trusted a long-time client’s request to extend credit for a delivery worth $1.2 million. The vessel was already en route, and denying supply would’ve meant loss of face—and a customer.

The delivery happened. The payment didn’t.

The supplier, unable to recover the amount, spiraled into cash flow issues. Eventually, they had to downsize drastically and were acquired a year later by a competitor.

Lesson: Past behavior isn’t always a predictor of future solvency—especially in volatile markets. Real-time credit monitoring is non-negotiable.

Case #2: The Shell Game in Singapore

A trader noticed something odd—a relatively new customer was placing unusually large orders and paying just fast enough to earn trust. Then came the big one: a $3 million delivery across two vessels. The customer vanished into thin air after the bunker delivery. The trading company discovered, too late, that the buyer was using a shell company. By the time the paper trail was investigated, the vessels had moved on and the buyer’s registered office had been vacated.

Lesson: Even experienced traders can fall prey to well-organized fraud. Know Your Customer (KYC) checks and integrated risk alerts can be lifesavers.

Case #3: The Baltic Bottleneck

A European supplier had set an internal credit limit of $500K for a Baltic shipping company. But due to multiple divisions across ports—and no centralized system—the same client racked up over $1.4 million in exposure before anyone noticed. When the shipping company filed for bankruptcy, the supplier had no legal way to reclaim outstanding payments across international jurisdictions.

Lesson: Credit risk needs to be tracked globally and in real time. Manual systems and fragmented spreadsheets aren’t built for today’s complex operations.

The Common Thread: Blind Spots in Credit Exposure

In all these cases, the underlying issue wasn’t lack of effort. It was lack of visibility. The bunkering world moves too fast for disconnected systems and manual checks. When you’re running a global operation, credit exposure must be monitored live, across entities, geographies, and vessels.

Enter Bunkertech: Your Defense Against Credit Risk

Bunkertech was built with real-world bunkering challenges in mind. It’s not just a trading and supply system—it’s your risk radar, credit watchdog, and compliance copilot.

With Bunkertech, you get:

• Real-time credit exposure monitoring across customers, regions, and group entities
• Automated credit checks before confirming nominations
• Alerts and escalation workflows to avoid silent build-up of risk
• Integrated customer profiling, KYC, and blacklist management
• Seamless link to AR and finance for a full view of exposure

No more guesswork. No more sleepless nights.

Bunkertech: The Go-To Solution for Bunker Trading & Supply

Whether you’re a trader managing multiple counterparty deals or a supplier trying to protect your margins, Bunkertech puts you in control. In today’s market, speed wins deals—but visibility saves businesses.

Don’t let credit exposure become your blind spot. Let Bunkertech shine a light.