Workers at the Fos and Lavera oil terminals in the French port of Marseilles ended a 12-day strike on Monday, allowing bunker barges to load fuel oil cargoes for the first time since December 4.

"We can load barges and supply again.  We already made a bunker delivery yesterday afternoon," a trader with a local bunker supplier told Bunkerworld this Tuesday.

During the strike, bunker barges were unable to reload, causing bunkering operations in the Marseilles-Lavera-Fos port complex to grind to a halt within a few days.

The supplier had only been able to provide small deliveries of marine gas oil (MGO) by truck during the strike.  

Around 61 ships, oil tankers and gas and chemicals carriers, were waiting outside the port by the time the strike ended on Monday.

The industrial action was threatening to cause shutdowns at local refineries.  It had already led some to cut runs as the strike prevented tankers from discharging crude or loading oil products at the French oil and petrochemical hub.

Eight refineries in southeast France get thier crude supplies via Fos-Lavera.

The Union Francaise des Industries Petrolieres (UFIP), which represents the French oil industry, has estimated the strike action cost $1.5 million to $2 million a day in reduced refinery operations and vessel delays.

Despite the backlog of vessels that had formed at the port, one local supplier said there was no significant backlog in bunkering services.  

But the bunkering arm of one of the oil companies that operate in the Marseilles area said its operations were coming back "little by little," indicating that there were still some operational delays late Tuesday.  

Some 200 personnel at two oil terminals were said to be involved in the strike.  They were protesting privatisation plans required under a French law on port operations.

The strike was called off after a settlement was reached between the port authority and the union representing the terminal workers.

Local sources said there may still be further industrial action at the port this month.