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ENGINE: East of Suez Bunker Fuel Availability Outlook

Typhoon Chanthu has suspended bunkering in Zhoushan and Shanghai, and lead times have dropped for all three fuel grades in Fujairah this week.
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The following outlook regarding East of Suez bunker fuel availability has been provided by online marine fuel procurement platform ENGINE for publication on Singapore bunkering publication Manifold Times:

14 September, 2021

Typhoon Chanthu has suspended bunkering in Zhoushan and Shanghai, and lead times have dropped for all three fuel grades in Fujairah this week.

Bunker operations have been suspended in Zhoushan and Shanghai since Sunday, as suppliers braced for strong winds and heavy rainfall brought by the incoming Typhoon Chanthu.

Port operations are expected to resume on Wednesday, but with a backlog of deliveries. One bunker supplier is tied up for the next few days, while other suppliers are not facing lengthy delays.

Fuel availability remains good in Zhoushan. Four of the five suppliers that stock HSFO380 in the Chinese port have volumes to supply. VLSFO and LSMGO are also in good supply in Zhoushan.

Singapore’s residual fuel oil stocks grew by 3.45 million bbls on the week to 8 September and rose above their five-year average, Enterprise Singapore data showed last week.

Singapore continues to see considerable HSFO380 tightness this week too, with lead times stretching up to eight days ahead. VLSFO requires up to eight days, while LSMGO is available at a shorter notice of 3-4 days.  

Singapore sold similar volumes of bunker fuel in August as in July, fresh figures from Singapore’s port authority showed this week.

The bunkering hub’s total fuel oil sales were 3% lower than in August a year earlier, however, as a 6% drop in VLSFO volumes dragged down the total. The port’s suppliers have sold more than 4 million mt of bunker fuels in consecutive months from July last year, when demand had recovered from a slump during the early part of the pandemic.

Lead times in Fujairah are down on the week, with HSFO380 now requiring up to six days ahead, compared to last week’s 11 days. Lead times of four days are recommended for VLSFO and LSMGO stems in the UAE port.

Japan’s total fuel oil stocks have maintained their levels for another week, with LSFO inventories inching up on the week, and HSFO moderately shrinking, data from the Petroleum Association of Japan showed.

Tokyo’s bunker lead times continue to stand at 4-5 days for VLSFO and LSMGO, coming down from 7-8 days in July. HSFO380 requires up to seven days in advance in the Japanese capital.

Typhoon Chanthu is expected to reach Japan’s western ports and South Korea’s southern coast towards the end of the week, potentially disrupting bunkering operations in the region.

Bunker fuel oil supply tightened in South Korean ports earlier this month, as two of the country’s four refiners halted fuel oil imports for September delivery, curbing supply to ports. Recent maintenance work at a refinery also cut back domestic production capacity, and supply is expected to be tight through September, sources say.

 

Photo credit: ENGINE
Published: 16 September, 2021

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Vessel Arrest

Singapore: Cook Islands-flagged tanker “Arthgallo” placed under Sheriff’s arrest

Cargo ship was arrested at 5pm on 20 July while the arresting solicitor listed was law firm Ming Law Asia.
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July 27, 2026

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RESIZED SG bunker tanker

Cook Islands-flagged oil/chemical tanker Arthgallo was arrested in Singapore waters on Monday (20 July).

The vessel was added to the list of vessels under Sheriff’s arrest in Singapore’s court system. 

According to the list, the vessel was arrested at 5pm and the arresting solicitor listed was law firm Ming Law Asia. The ship is currently held at Raffles Reserved Anch/ 4611D Raffles Reserved. 

No details were provided in the list regarding the reason behind the arrest.

 

Photo credit: Manifold Times
Published: 27 July, 2026

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Winding up

Singapore: Notice of intended dividend issued for Nan Ho Maritime, Nan Xin Maritime

Creditors will need to produce proofs of debt to liquidators of Nan Ho Maritime and Nan Xin Maritime by 7 August, according to Government Gazette notice.
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July 27, 2026

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Two notices to declare the intended dividend of Nan Ho Maritime Pte Ltd and Nan Xin Maritime Pte Ltd to their creditors have been posted on the Government Gazette on Friday (24 July).

The following are the details of the notices of intended dividend:

Name of Company : Nan Ho Maritime (Pte.) Ltd. (In Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidation)
Unique Entity No. / Registration No. : 200814315C
Address of Former Registered Office : 21 Bukit Batok Crescent, #22-70 WCEGA Tower, Singapore 658065
Last Day for Receiving Proofs : 7th day of August 2026
Name of Liquidators : Abuthahir Abdul Gafoor & Yessica Budiman
Address of Liquidators : c/o AAG Corporate Advisory Pte. Ltd., 11 Collyer Quay, #07-02 The Arcade, Singapore 049317

Name of Company : Nan Xin Maritime (Pte.) Ltd. (In Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidation)
Unique Entity No. / Registration No. : 201701966W
Address of Former Registered Office : 21 Bukit Batok Crescent, #22-70 WCEGA Tower, Singapore 658065
Last Day for Receiving Proofs : 7th day of August 2026
Name of Liquidators : Abuthahir Abdul Gafoor & Yessica Budiman
Address of Liquidators : c/o AAG Corporate Advisory Pte. Ltd., 11 Collyer Quay, #07-02 The Arcade, Singapore 049317

 

Photo credit: steve pb from Pixabay
Published: 27 July, 2026

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Bunker Fuel

Peninsula: Red Sea hostilities drive bunker supply crunch and MedECA compliance challenges

As Red Sea hostilities continue to force widespread maritime diversions around the Cape of Good Hope, bunker company Peninsula warns of a “perfect storm” for global tanker operators.
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17 hours ago

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July 27, 2026

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Peninsula

As Red Sea hostilities continue to force widespread maritime diversions around the Cape of Good Hope, bunker company Peninsula on Friday (24 July) warned of a “perfect storm” for global tanker operators.

The unprecedented surge in tonne-mile demand is now intersecting with stringent Mediterranean emissions regulations, threatening to more than double operational costs and severely tighten bunker supply at alternative key ports.

With the Bab el-Mandeb Strait increasingly bypassed, vessels are exiting the Red Sea via the Suez Canal and navigating westbound through the Mediterranean to reach Asia.

Peninsula noted that this detour could more than double the normal tonne-mile demand of a Bab el-Mandeb eastbound exit. For a typical Suezmax tanker, the diversion will require around 1,500 metric tonnes (mt) of additional fuel, at a cost of circa USD 800,000, and an emissions cost of roughly 3,800 mt of CO2.

Spot rates for Suezmax vessels – the largest tankers that can transit the Suez Canal fully laden – are already increasing, causing a scramble to cover the cargoes before the tonne-mile effect kicks in.

Kenny MacLean, Chief Operations Officer at Peninsula, said: “The industry could be dealing with a sudden, significant increase in fuel consumption. This is more complex than simply plotting a longer course – it will require a fundamental recalibration of voyage economics that will squeeze global bunker supply at a time when demand already outstrips supply.”

Beyond the raw cost of fuel, Peninsula is highlighting a critical regulatory blind spot for rerouted vessels – the Mediterranean Emissions Control Area (MedECA). Under these rules, vessels transiting the entire Mediterranean must burn fuel with a maximum sulphur content of 0.1%, rendering standard Very Low Sulphur Fuel Oil (VLSFO) non-compliant.

With European authorities increasingly deploying “sniffer drones” to remotely analyse vessel emissions in real-time, operators must switch to compliant Marine Gas Oil (MGO) or suitable biofuels before entering the region. Failure to secure compliant fuel risks severe fines and costly vessel detentions.

The sudden shift in maritime traffic could redraw the global bunkering map. Peninsula expects significantly increased demand in alternative physical supply ports along the revised route, including Port Said, Malta, Gibraltar, Algeciras, Las Palmas, Algoa Bay, and Port Louis.

Richard Alvarez, Global Head of Sales at Peninsula, added: “Operators are navigating a regulatory and logistical minefield. Securing compliant fuel conveniently, in the right location, in a rising price environment is now the defining challenge of these deviated voyages.

“As supply tightens at alternative bunker hubs, the ability to rely on suppliers with a globally integrated supply network and deep access to multi-product cargos will prove critical to minimise disruption and avoid the costs of non-compliance.”

 

Photo credit: Peninsula
Published: 27 July, 2026

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