Italy's Bunker Energy is adding outside territorial water (OTW) refuelling as a service from its Augusta base in south-eastern Sicily.
The move is aimed at giving the ship fuel supplies company a foothold in the cross-Mediterranean market for vessels that would normally only make a technical bunker call in the Sicilian area when absolutely necessary.
Providing fuel outside the 12-mile (19 km) territorial water limit cuts many of the costs of a bunker call, as it removes port call, tug and agency services fees.