AET Performs 10,000th US Gulf Lightering Operation

On 12 June 2013, AET confirmed its leadership position in US Gulf lightering by performing its 10,000th fully serviced lightering operation. Using its own personnel, equipment and lightering support vessel, AET successfully transferred 547,000 bbls of crude oil from Tankers International LLC’s V.K. Eddie, a VLCC, into one of its own Aframax tankers, Eagle Kinabalu, for SeaRiver Maritime, Inc.

Commenting on the achievement, AET President & CEO, Hor Weng Yew said: “AET is the market leader in US Gulf lightering and we perform around 700 operations each year. Today is a milestone for our company and demonstrates our expertise in this highly specialised sector. This achievement would not have been possible without the continued support, trust and guidance from our customers and business partners, and I would like to express my deepest gratitude. In today’s market, it is important to remain flexible with the capability to deliver value-added services which is why we place such an emphasis on specialist activities such as lightering and dynamic positioning. Our offshore operation also has an excellent safety record.”

He went on say: “Our company is continuing to grow and expand its capabilities. We are now performing lightering operations off the coast of Uruguay and we have long terms contracts in place to deliver dynamic positioning shuttle tanker services in the Brazilian Basin and in the Barents Sea.”

AET began US Gulf lightering in 1994 with three Aframax tankers, three mooring masters and a support staff of just six people. Today, the company operates over 30 vessels in this region and employs 16 mooring masters and over 100 support staff working from its newly built shore facility at Galveston, Texas. In 2011 and 2012, AET invested in a fleet of four purpose designed and built lightering support vessels (the first in the world) to give added flexibility and enhanced levels of safety to its offshore operations.

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AET, June 14, 2013