Sterling Fuels and Windsor Port Authority (WPA) have shared a long history of co-operation and prosperity. Change and adapting to the challenges it presents have been a consistent theme and has presented Sterling and WPA with many opportunities to strengthen the partnership that has made the port of Windsor the 3rd largest Canadian Port in the Great Lakes and Sterling Fuels, Ontario’s largest ship refueling terminal.
Significant and continued capital investments have transformed the Windsor Sterling Fuels marine terminal into the premier vessel refueling terminal on the Great Lakes. Sterling Fuels Windsor provides the Great Lakes marine fleets with a “One Stop Shopping” experience. All grades of marine fuels (marine diesel and all Intermediate fuels) are available by pipeline. A complete line of ExxonMobil package lubricants and ten grades of ExxonMobil Marine bulk lubes are available over our dock. Crew changes, waste, sludge removal, and supplies can all be handled in one stop over our dock.
Sterling also supplies marine fuel in Hamilton, Port Weller and Western Lake Ontario ports via its bunkering tanker the MT Sterling Energy. In addition, Sterling provides fueling via pipeline at the Sarnia Imperial Oil dock, and to most truck accessible ports in Ontario around the Great Lakes.
In 2019 the new provincial government opted out of provincial Cap N’ Trade program, which forced the imposition of a federal carbon tax in Ontario. This potentially would have put Ontario marine fuel suppliers at a significant competitive disadvantage relative to suppliers operating in the United States and neighbouring provincial jurisdictions. Sterling Fuels worked closely with Windsor Port Authority and its industry partners, including several departments within the federal government, to ensure that Ontario based suppliers of marine fuel, and shipping companies purchasing marine fuel in Ontario, were not unfairly disadvantaged solely due to the introduction of the federal carbon tax program.
New fuel standards coming into effect in 2020 will continue to drive necessary change, innovation and investment. The marine industry will look to a combination of scrubber technology, and ultralow sulphur fuels, such as marine gas oil, LNG, biofuels, and other low sulphur bunkers.
Further capital investments will be required to meet the changing needs of the marine fuel industry. Sterling is committed to the industry and is poised and ready to work closely with its business partners to ensure that it continues to be the premier marine fuel supplier in Windsor, as well as their other locations on the Great Lakes.