| 43 “Speculation around shortages has seen contingency plans put in place in the event of shortages; a number of our biggest customers have been pro-active in this.” REGIONAL BSP Fuels T T Hugh de Lacy Resilience in uncertain fuel markets BSP Services Ltd (BSP Fuels) supplies fuels to fishing fleets, tourist and commercial operators and recreational boaties from seven ports around the South Island. Workwear for civil, construction & all trades Corporate gifts, conference merchandise & branded apparel Embroidery • Screen Print • Heat Transfer kgpromotional.co.nz 0800 477 134 | info@petrotec.co.nz | petrotec.co.nz Fuel infrastructure specialists Design, construction, servicing and maintenance for petroleum sites across New Zealand. • Fuel storage systems • Pumps and dispensers • Tank and line testing • Fuel management systems • Site upgrades and maintenance 100% KIWI OWNED 37 YEARS IN BUSINESS 36 EXPERIENCED STAFF 30 VEHICLES 8 LOCATIONS The Iran war has nearly tripled the price of diesel in New Zealand, but Christchurch-based BSP Fuels, leveraging its longstanding alliance with Allied Petroleum, is striving to minimise the impact on the predominantly marine clientele it services. BSP Services Ltd (BSP Fuels) supplies fuels to fishing fleets, tourist and commercial operators and recreational boaties from seven ports around the South Island. The company buys its fuel from Allied Petroleum, which distributes it through its own truck fleet, and clients can access it at any site through BP Fuel’s BSP cards, or Allied’s Allied Card. BSP Fuels’ market advantage is buying in bulk and selling at discounted prices. “The war has had a significant impact on the business — seeing diesel triple over such a short period has led to uncertainty among our customers,” says Jeremy Greenwood, co-owner with founder Mike Chin, and day-today manager. “Speculation around shortages has seen contingency plans put in place in the event of shortages; a number of our biggest customers have been pro-active in this.” But while fuel prices are likely to remain high as long as the war blocks the vital Strait of Hormuz, this isn’t the first time BSP Fuels has had to deal with massive change over which it has no control. In 1996 the government of the day introduced a Fisheries Act aimed at curbing the human rights abuses believed to be occurring on foreign charter fishing vessels, the result of which was that most of them stopped visiting New Zealand. For a small company — BSP Services, as it was then, offering stevedoring and fuel supply services to the foreign fishing vessels — the Fisheries Act 1996 might have spelt its demise. It had established excellent relationships with the main oil companies, however, and that allowed it to provide a bunkering service for the much-reduced fleet. The company’s working title was changed to BSP Fuels, and its customer base rose sharply over the next few years, boosted by its supply of fuel cards for a range of both marine and land-based installations. The year 2003 was an important one for the company’s growth, as it acquired seven marine sites strategically located round the South Island: Picton Marina, Port Underwood, Greymouth, Akaroa, Moeraki, Taieri Mouth and Port Chalmers. The company is based in Christchurch from where a small team of staff monitor all the sites remotely, as well as doing everything from card management to maintenance and the processing of transactions. Buying directly from a distributor has the flow-on effect for BSP Fuels, allowing it to offer bulk deliveries to vessels or, as is happening increasingly, to farms. “We’re able to supply fuel to any land-based site, and we can also offer bunkering of marine fuels for vessels at all the ports throughout the country where we don’t already have our own marine sites,” Jeremy says. Initially launched by Mike Chin in the late 1980s, BSP Fuels has already demonstrated it has the resilience to survive whatever challenges the market throws at it.
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