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Argus Media: Wartsila flags up 2019 scrubber demand slowdown

Scrubber sales in 2019 down by 11% compared to 2018 as shipowners gauge whether scrubber investments are justified vis a vis fuel prices.

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Erik Hoffman of global energy and price reporting agency Argus Media on Friday (31 January) issued a report by Wartsila that said scrubber sales have diminished in 2019 and 2020 compared to the boom of 2018 due to uncertain fuel prices:

Finnish marine technology firm Wartsila said it received fewer orders for exhaust gas scrubbers last year than in 2018, as shipowners postponed decisions to invest in the technology to later this year.

Scrubbers allow ships to keep burning 3.5pc sulphur fuel oil without falling foul of the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) new 0.5pc sulphur cap, which came into effect on 1 January.

Fuel price spreads were “supportive of investments” in scrubbers last year, but a lack of shipyard capacity to install them and uncertainty around the availability of high-sulphur fuels at various ports have delayed investment decisions, Wartsila said.

Wartsila is the world’s biggest scrubber manufacturer. Its order intake for marine equipment and services shrunk by 11pc in 2019 compared with 2018, when scrubber manufacturers received a flurry of orders during the summer.

“Demand for scrubbers declined from exceptionally high levels in the previous year, as a result of uncertainty related to the price and availability of bunker fuels,” Wartsila chief executive Jaako Eskola said.

Shipowners were waiting until the first quarter of 2020 to gauge whether the fuel price spreads would warrant scrubber investments, Wartsila said, reiterating an observation it made last year.

The price spreads between low-sulphur and high-sulphur marine fuels have been volatile across major bunkering hubs in recent months, spiking at the end of last year as shipowners rushed to bunker IMO-compliant fuel before the sulphur cap deadline.

In Fujairah, the price of 0.1pc sulphur marine gasoil (MGO) peaked at a $540/t premium over 3.5pc fuel oil on 24 December and fell to a low of $384/t yesterday. The premium of 0.5pc sulphur fuel oil over 3.5pc fuel oil rose to a high of $497.50/t on 30 December before dropping to $273.50/t yesterday.

The price spreads have been particularly wide in Fujairah, which is naturally long on 3.5pc fuel oil compared with Singapore and Rotterdam. In Singapore, the premiums for MGO and 0.5pc fuel oil over 3.5pc fuel oil reached highs of $371.50/t and $370.50/t on 2 January, respectively, before falling to $234/t and $231/t yesterday. In Rotterdam, the premiums of MGO and 0.5pc fuel oil peaked at $329/t and $309.50/t on 30 December, and had fallen to $198/t and $183/t by yesterday.

Lack of shipyard space for scrubber retrofits pushed installation times to over six weeks in December. This — combined with high freight rates at the end of last year — prompted shipowner DHT to postpone scrubber retrofits on six of its very large crude carriers (VLCCs). The firm currently has 12 ships with scrubbers in operation.

Several European bunker suppliers stopped offering 3.5pc fuel oil in the weeks leading up to 1 January in order to free up more storage and barge tank space for 0.5pc fuel oil. At least two suppliers in the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) hub stopped offering 3.5pc fuel oil, one in Skaw, one in Las Palmas, two in the Gibraltar Strait ports, two in Malta, two in Piraeus and one in Istanbul. Other suppliers in these ports have converted most of their barge tanks to hold low-sulphur fuels.

A large number of vessels are currently out of operation for scrubber installations. When these vessels hit the water again, demand for high-sulphur fuel oil is set to rise.

Some suppliers will reassess demand for 3.5pc fuel oil in mid-February to determine whether or not “to dirty up” their bunker barge tanks again to accommodate high-sulphur fuel. Around 3,800 vessels will have scrubbers in operation and on order by the end of 2020, up from 3,000 in 2019, according to shipping classification body DNV GL.

 

Source: Argus Media
Published: 3 February, 2020

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Winding up

Singapore: High Court to hear Norvic Shipping Asia winding up application on 31 July

Application for the winding up of Norvic Shipping Asia Pte Ltd was filed by Netherlands-registered Mur Shipping BV on 8 April, according to Government Gazette notice.

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RESIZED singapore high court

An application for the winding up of Norvic Shipping Asia Pte Ltd was filed by Netherlands-registered Mur Shipping BV on 8 April, according to a Tuesday (21 July) notice on the Government Gazette.

It noted the winding up application is directed to be heard before the Judge sitting in the General Division of the High Court at 10am on 31 July.

Any creditor or contributory of the company desiring to support or oppose the making of an order on the winding up application may appear at the time of hearing by himself or his counsel for that purpose.

A copy of the winding up application will be furnished to any creditor or contributory of the company requiring the copy of the winding up application by the solicitors of the applicant’s, Oon & Bazul LLC, on payment of the regulated charge for the same.

The Applicant’s address is Hiridostraat 5, Gebouw Prismatrium, 1101CW Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

The Applicant’s solicitors are Oon & Bazul LLC of 103 Penang Rd, #04-04/05/06 Singapore 238467. 

Queries on the winding up application may be directed to the following email addresses: [email protected] and [email protected].

 

Photo credit: Manifold Times
Published: 22 July, 2026

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Methanol

World Fuel and partners complete first green methanol bunkering of car carrier in Shanghai

Operation involved the delivery of approximately 2,800 MT of green methanol to “Arctic Tern” via a ship-to-ship transfer using SIPG Energy’s dedicated methanol bunkering vessel “M/V Hai Gang Zhi Yuan”.

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World Fuel and partners complete first green methanol bunkering of car carrier in Shanghai

Marine fuel provider World Fuel on Tuesday (21 July) said it successfully completed the first green methanol bunkering of M/V Arctic Tern, with EUKOR Car Carriers and SIPG Energy at the Port of Shanghai. 

Arctic Tern is the first vessel in the new Shaper Class series of car carriers. 

The operation involved the delivery of approximately 2,800 MT of green methanol to Arctic Tern via a ship-to-ship transfer using SIPG Energy’s dedicated methanol bunkering vessel M/V Hai Gang Zhi Yuan, the largest vessel of its kind in operation. 

The bunkering operation was carried out at Haitong Terminal, Waigaoqiao Port Area, Shanghai Port, with cargo handling operations conducted simultaneously during bunkering.

This marks EUKOR Car Carriers’ first green methanol operation and the first time Arctic Tern has bunkered methanol since its delivery on 9 July. The operation marked the first bunkering at Shanghai Port of green methanol produced locally in Shanghai for an international PCTC operator. 

It also demonstrated the city’s integrated green methanol value chain, spanning local production, storage and bunkering, and established a replicable “Shanghai Model” for green methanol supply.

World Fuel arranged the supply and delivery of the fuel on behalf of EUKOR Car Carriers, working with SIPG Energy as the physical supplier at the Port of Shanghai.

The green methanol supplied was produced from municipal solid waste, ISCC-EU certified, and had a carbon intensity value below 25 gCO₂e/MJ.

Arctic Tern is the first of fourteen Shaper Class vessels ordered by Wallenius Wilhelmsen. With a capacity of 9,300 car equivalent units and methanol dual-fuel capability, the vessel will be operated by EUKOR Car Carriers, jointly owned by Wallenius Wilhelmsen and Hyundai Motor Group. Following her first green methanol bunkering, Arctic Tern will continue her maiden voyage from Asia to Europe.

Xavier Leroi, COO Shipping Services at Wallenius Wilhelmsen and CEO of EUKOR Car Carriers, said: “Completing Arctic Tern’s first green methanol bunkering shortly after delivery is a significant milestone towards our decarbonisation ambition for both EUKOR Car Carriers and Wallenius Wilhelmsen. It demonstrates how investments in next-generation vessel technology and fuel flexibility are being translated into real-world operations. 

“This achievement reflects the strong collaboration between all parties involved. Together, we have shown how partnerships across the maritime value chain can help make lower-emission fuels available and operationally viable at scale.”

Mark Tamsitt, SVP Global Marine Sales at World Fuel, said, “The first bunkering event with a new fuel is a significant moment for any shipowner, and our role is to make it as seamless as possible. By connecting EUKOR Car Carriers with SIPG Energy’s proven green methanol capability at the Port of Shanghai, we were able to deliver on reliable supply, fuel quality, and safe processes. As more of our customers bring methanol dual-fuel tonnage into service, we are committed to being the partner that makes these kinds of operations routine.”

Mr. Zhang Da, General Manager of SIPG Energy, said, “Welcoming Arctic Tern to the Port of Shanghai for her first green methanol bunkering demonstrates the strength and maturity of our supply capability. Building on our well-established methanol ship-to-ship bunkering services for container vessels, we have already extended such services to pure car and truck carriers (PCTCs). This bunkering sets a new record for the largest single SIMOPs green methanol bunkering for PCTCs in China, marking another step in building Shanghai’s position as a global green energy hub for international shipping.”

This operation follows Wallenius Wilhelmsen’s announcement on 9 July that Arctic Tern would complete her first methanol bunkering shortly after delivery. The vessel entered service on routes between Asia and Europe immediately following handover from China Merchants Jinling Shipyard in Nanjing.

 

Photo credit: World Fuel
Published: 22 July, 2026

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Ammonia

HPA and MB Energy develop safety concept for STS ammonia bunkering

HPA says the Port of Hamburg will become “bunker ready” for ammonia, laying the groundwork for safe and reliable ammonia bunkering in the future.

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HPA and MB Energy develop safety concept for STS ammonia bunkering

The Hamburg Port Authority (HPA) and integrated energy company MB Energy on Tuesday (21 July) said they have completed a comprehensive risk analysis and developed a dedicated safety concept for ship-to-ship ammonia bunkering.

MB Energy said the analysis lays the groundwork for the safe introduction of ammonia as a future marine fuel.

“With our planned ammonia import terminal in Hamburg-Blumensand, MB Energy intends to provide the reliable land side supply infrastructure needed to support this transition across northern German ports,” it said in a social media post. 

Mabanaft Group was renamed to MB Energy last year and merged over 50 existing brands under one identity. 

Separately, HPA said the Port of Hamburg will become “bunker ready” for ammonia, laying the groundwork for safe and reliable ammonia bunkering in the future.

“The focus is in particular on container ships, cruise ships as well as RoRo and ConRo (Container/RoRo) ships,” it said. 

“We expect ammonia to establish itself as an alternative marine marine fuel in the coming years. With our preparatory work, we are already creating the conditions to welcome the first ammonia-powered ships in Hamburg and to bunker them safely.:

HPA added that the import terminal for ammonia planned by MB Energy from 2029 will make a decisive contribution to ensuring the reliable availability of ammonia as a bunker fuel in northern German ports in the long term. 

“The use of an ammonia bunker barge is considered a possible addition to the landside infrastructure to enable ship bunkering in the port and beyond in the future,” it said.

Related: Mabanaft Group renames as MB Energy, merging over 50 brands under one identity

 

Photo credit: Hamburg Port Authority
Published: 22 July, 2026

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