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Hong Kong: Bunker demand shift to nearby ports after tightening of COVID-19 measures

‘Almost all bunkering calls have been diverted to other ports, and north ports such as Zhoushan. Most bunkers here are for regular container liners only,’ says source.

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Hong Kong bunkering down

Demand for bunker fuel at Hong Kong port has shifted to neighbouring ports since the introduction of stricter Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) measures in late July, learned Manifold Times.

Vessels coming to Hong Kong port only for bunkering operations are now subjected to a 14-day quarantine in anchorage once they get into Hong Kong waters.

“Demand has dropped a lot due to the quarantine policy,” a local bunker trader told the Singapore bunkering publication.

Another Hong Kong-based source added, “almost all bunkering calls have been diverted to other ports, and north ports such as Zhoushan. Most bunkers here are for regular container liners only.”

A trader working at one of Hong Kong’s largest bunkering firms estimated bunkers-only calls from vessels falling between 30% to a maximum of 40%, with the local bunkering volume slowing by approximately 20%.

He explained the bunkering volume coming from containerships conducting cargo operations at Hong Kong port forms a much larger proportion than the bunkers-only call volume.

A Chinese bunker broker, meanwhile, estimated the additional quarantine requirement has resulted in a demand loss of between 40-50% for bunkers-only calls at Hong Kong port.

“Almost all the vessels which earlier used to do bunkers-only calls at Hong Kong have now switched to other nearby ports in a hurry,” she said.

Ports in South China become among the first choices for vessels looking for an alternative bunkering port.

Both barge and cargoes of VLSFO at Guangzhou port, where China Shipping & Sinopec, Sinopec Zhoushan and Chimbusco are the main physical suppliers, are now very tight.

To date, the price of VLSFO at Guangzhou port have rose to USD 390-430 per metric tonne (pmt) with deliveries on a first come first supply basis.

A shipping operator, meanwhile, advised the company is currently thinking of conducting bunkers-only calls at Xiamen or Hainan ports where supply conditions are still fine.

In Xiamen, the main physicals are Chimbusco and Sinopec Zhoushan. Both barges and avails are currently fine. In Hainan, the main physicals are China Shipping & Sinopec and Sinopec Zhoushan. It should be noted that in Hainan, VLSFO is only available from Sinopec Zhoushan.

The price of VLSFO at Xiamen port is between USD 350-360 per metric tonne (pmt).

Some players at Zhoushan, the main bunkers-only call port in China, may have benefitted from the development at Hong Kong port. A local physical supplier said its supply volume increased between 10-20%, while another major supplier noted of no “big changes” to bunker sales volumes.

The price of VLSFO at Zhoushan port is about USD 330-350 pmt; while LSMGO is priced at between USD 395-420 pmt.

Related: Hong Kong: Bunkering operations affected amidst tightening of COVID-19 measures

 

Published: 11 August, 2020
Photo credit: stinne24 from Pixabay

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Legal

Singapore withdraws remaining 127 charges against Hin Leong founder OK Lim

Lim Oon Kuin, also known as OK Lim, was issued a stern warning and a district court granted him a discharge amounting to an acquittal for these charges on 17 July.

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RESIZED Sora Shimazaki on Pexels

Founder of collapsed oil trader Hin Leong Trading, Lim Oon Kuin, also known as OK Lim, has had the remaining 127 charges against him withdrawn, according to The Straits Times on Monday (20 July). 

OK Lim was issued a stern warning and a district court granted him a discharge amounting to an acquittal for these charges, including those for cheating, on 17 July. The discharge means Lim cannot be prosecuted again for the same offences.

Lim, 84, is currently serving a 13½-year prison sentence after the High Court reduced his original 17½-year jail term in March 2026. He was convicted in 2024 on two cheating charges and one count of abetting forgery in a case prosecutors described as one of Singapore’s most serious trade finance frauds.

Lim was convicted in May 2024 of two charges of cheating the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) and one count of abetting forgery that proceeded to trial out of a total of 130 criminal charges.

He was first charged in court on 14 August 2020, and was subsequently handed further charges in court on 25 September 2020, 30 April 2021 and 24 June 2021 for his role in perpetuating fraud on various financial institutions. 

A total of 130 charges were eventually brought against him for cheating and forgery-related offences.

Related: Singapore: Hin Leong Founder OK Lim gets jail term slashed to 13.5 years

 

Photo credit: Sora Shimazaki
Published: 21 July, 2026

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Winding up

Singapore: Coastal Logistics Pte Ltd to be wound up voluntarily

Coastal Logistics was reportedly affiliated with troubled Singapore bunker player Coastal Oil (Singapore) Pte Ltd.

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RESIZED Drew Beamer

Several resolutions for Coastal Logistics Pte Ltd were made during an extraordinary general meeting held on 14 July, according to a notice in the Government Gazette on Friday (4 July).

The following resolutions were duly passed during the meeting:

As Special Resolution

  • That it has been proved to the satisfaction of the meeting that the Company cannot by reason of its liabilities continue its business and accordingly the Company be wound up voluntarily pursuant to Section 160(1)(b) of the Insolvency, Restructuring and Dissolution Act 2018 (No. 40 of 2018);

As Ordinary Resolutions

  • that Mr. Wong Pheng Cheong Martin and Ms. Koay May Yee, both care of FTI Consulting (Singapore) Pte Ltd, One Raffles Quay, #27-10 South Tower, Singapore 048583 be appointed as the joint and several Liquidators of the Company for the purpose of such winding up; and
  • that the Liquidators be at liberty to open, maintain and operate any bank account(s) or account(s) for monies received by them as Liquidators with such bank(s) as they deem fit; and
  • that a Committee of Inspection will not be formed.

Manifold Times previously reported Nicholas James Gronow, director of Heng Tong Fuels & Shipping and Coastal Logistics, filed statutory declarations for both companies stating the firms cannot continue their businesses due to liabilities.

Both companies were reportedly affiliated with troubled Singapore bunker player Coastal Oil (Singapore) Pte Ltd. 

In 2019, several vessels owned by both firms entered the sale & purchase (S&P) market in Singapore.

Related: Singapore: Director declares Heng Tong Fuels & Shipping’s inability to continue business
Related: Heng Tong Fuels & Shipping in court over DBS Bank bunker tanker loan
Related: Singapore: Bunker tanker “Coastal Neptune” arrested
Related: Heng Tong Fuels & Shipping, Coastal Logistics tankers enter S&P market

 

Photo credit: Drew Beamer
Published: 21 July, 2026

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LNG Bunkering

PIL’s LNG dual-fuel boxship “Kota Elok” arrives in Singapore on maiden call

As the first of 13 new 13,000 TEU vessels joining its fleet, Kota Elok is equipped to operate on LNG and low-sulphur fuel oil that helps reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

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PIL's LNG dual-fuel boxship “Kota Elok” arrives in Singapore on maiden call

Singapore-based Pacific International Lines Pte Ltd on Monday (20 July) said its first 13,000 TEU LNG dual-fuel container vessel, Kota Elok, recently made her maiden call to Singapore on 15 July.

As the first of 13 new 13,000 TEU vessels joining its fleet, Kota Elok is equipped to operate on liquefied natural gas (LNG) and low-sulphur fuel oil that helps reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. 

The vessel also incorporated energy-saving features and digital technologies to reduce fuel consumption and enhance operational performance, as well as a bow windshield to improve aerodynamics, contributing to improved fuel efficiency and lower emissions over the course of long-haul voyages.

“Following Singapore, Kota Elok will continue her voyage on our East Coast Service 1 (ES1) route to South America, calling at ports in Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina before returning to Asia,” the company said in a social media post. 

Kota Elok also became PIL’s first vessel to receive Lloyd’s Register certification for compliance with the IACS UR E26 and UR E27 cyber security requirements.

Developed by the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS), UR E26 and UR E27 are mandatory cyber resilience requirements for newbuild vessels contracted from 1 July 2024. 

 

Photo credit: Pacific International Lines
Published: 21 July, 2026

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