Business

ENGINE: East of Suez Bunker Fuel Availability Outlook

Singapore fuel oil stocks at seven-month lows; HSFO380 tight across region; pressure on supply from strong pre-Eid demand

Published

4 years ago

May 4, 2022

Admin

The following article regarding regional bunker fuel availability outlook for the East of Suez region has been provided by online marine fuels procurement platform ENGINE for publication on Singapore bunkering publication Manifold Times:

3 May 2022

Singapore fuel oil stocks at seven-month lows
HSFO380 tight across region
Pressure on supply from strong pre-Eid demand

Singapore

HSFO380 availability remains “super tight” in Singapore. Recommended lead times are up to three weeks. Two suppliers can offer with a shorter 10-11 days of lead time, a trader says. Recommended VLSFO lead times are around two weeks, while LSMGO has a shorter lead time of 5-6 days.

Prompt deliveries remain difficult to find. Some suppliers can offer but priced at a premium, a trader says.

Bunker demand was strong last week as buyers were seen rushing to fulfil their requirements before the Eid holidays, a trader says. Certain suppliers were experiencing fuel oil loading delays of around two days in Singapore last week, according to shipping agent Orient Maritime Agencies.

Singapore’s residual fuel oil and middle distillate stockpiles dropped by 17-22% last week after posting massive growth in the previous week, according to Enterprise Singapore. Fuel oil stocks were drawn to their lowest point in seven months.

Last week saw large HSFO380 cargoes depart Singapore for the Philippines and Bangladesh, and large low sulphur fuel oil cargoes depart for Hong Kong and another unnamed destination. These outflows contributed towards the stock draw for fuel oil.

For April as a whole, Singapore mostly exported fuel oil to Bangladesh, China, Philippines, US and Malaysia, according to Vortexa cargo data. Imports came from the UAE, Indonesia, US, Brazil and Japan.

East Asia

Hong Kong’s bunker demand has been robust in the weeks since quarantine restrictions were lifted and contributed to tighten supply. Recommended lead times for VLSFO and LSMGO are around 7-8 days. HSFO380 is tight and only available with some suppliers.

Availability remains tight in South Korean ports. Recommended lead times for VLSFO and LSMGO grades are 6-7 days in Ulsan, Busan and Yeosu, sources say.

Zhoushan is seeing tighter availability of VLSFO and LSMGO, with recommended lead times of 5-6 days. Prompter deliveries are difficult now, a source says. Two suppliers in Zhoushan have no VLSFO to offer. HSFO380 is also tight with only two suppliers currently offering it.

Prompt deliveries are tight for VLSFO and LSMGO in Port Klang, a trader says.

Availability of VLSFO and LSMGO is normal in Indonesia’s Jakarta and Surabaya. A supplier can offer limited prompt deliveries.

South Asia

Bunker fuel availability remains normal in India’s Mumbai. Demand has been sluggish in recent days, a trader says. Some suppliers can offer prompt limited deliveries. In Mundra, HSFO380 and VLSFO availability is slightly tight and recommended lead times are around 7-8 days, while LSMGO is unavailable, sources say.

Availability in Visakhapatnam is normal for VLSFO and LSMGO, where a supplier can offer prompt deliveries. Demand has been reported normal.

In Colombo, availability is tight across all grades. Some suppliers have already sold off stems from their fuel oil and gasoil inventories and are unable to provide offers, a trader says. HSFO380 is tight as only a few suppliers can offer the grade.

Supply is likely to improve in Colombo as replenishment stocks are set to arrive over the coming weeks, sources say.

Chittagong faced severe port congestion last week due to the upcoming Eid holiday, a trader says. Availability is tight for LSMGO, and lead times are unpredictable.

Middle East

In Fujairah, prompt product is in tight supply due to the Eid holidays. Recommended lead times are around 6-7 days for VLSFO and LSMGO.

Four suppliers can offer HSFO380 in Fujairah, two of which have their earliest delivery dates 10-12 days out. The two others can deliver with 4-5 days of lead time, but with price premiums incurred, sources say.

Prompt deliveries have become slightly tighter in Omani ports of Duqm and Sohar, a trader says. Demand is said to be normal.

Photo credit and source: ENGINE
Published: 4 May, 2022

Legal

Shell Singapore charged over Pulau Bukom oil leaks, reporting delays

Shell faces four charges under Singapore’s Prevention of Pollution of the Sea Act over two 2024 oil discharge incidents at its Pulau Bukom facility.

Published

14 hours ago

September 25, 2026

Admin

2 MPA craft (left) supporting Shell craft in the clean up operations of the oil sheens taken on 28 Dec 9am

Shell Singapore has been charged over two incidents in 2024 involving oily mixtures discharged into Singapore waters from its facilities at Pulau Bukom, according to media reports on Tuesday (22 September).

The company faces four charges under the Prevention of Pollution of the Sea Act, including allegations that it failed to report the discharges to the port master immediately.

The first incident occurred on 20 October 2024, when approximately 40 metric tonnes (mt) of oily mixture was discharged through a hole in a pipeline at the Shell Singapore Energy and Chemicals Park at about 8am.

Shell is accused of reporting the incident to the port master at about 12.55pm, several hours after the discharge occurred.

The second incident took place between 26 and 28 December 2024. An estimated 485kg to 956kg of oil mixture was discharged into Singapore waters from the same facility.

Shell is accused of failing to report the incident immediately, with notification to the port master made at about 11.50am on 26 December 2024, according to the charges.

Singapore’s pollution-prevention regulations require occupiers of such facilities to report oil or oily-mixture discharges into Singapore waters “without delay and to the fullest extent possible”.

Shell’s representative requested an eight-week adjournment at the 22 September hearing, citing the need to obtain internal instructions, appoint counsel and locate historical records. The company said the business associated with the incidents had been divested in 2025.

The case was adjourned to October. Shell is also facing prosecution by Singapore’s National Environment Agency over the same incidents.

Photo credit: Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore
Published: 25 September, 2026

Incident

MPA probes Singapore Strait collision involving fishing vessel, bulk carrier

MPA says there were no reported injuries among the crew of either vessel in the incident involving China-registered fishing vessel “Lu Qing Yuan Yu” and Panama-registered bulk carrier “First Margaux” .

Published

14 hours ago

September 25, 2026

Admin

Panama-registered bulk carrier “First Margaux”

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) on Tuesday (22 September) said it is investigating the incident involving the China-registered fishing vessel Lu Qing Yuan Yu and the Panama-registered bulk carrier First Margaux in the Singapore Strait on 17 September.

MPA said there were no reported injuries among the crew of either vessel or pollution arising from the incident and navigational traffic was not affected.

Videos circulating on social media showed the bulk carrier colliding with the fishing vessel.

“The fishing vessel took on water during the incident but remained afloat and stable, with the crew taking measures to manage the situation onboard,” MPA said.

The vessel was subsequently towed to Raffles Reserved Anchorage for assessment.

Essential crew remained onboard to support the tow, while the Singapore Civil Defence Force supported the transfer of other crew to shore.

MPA added it also issued navigational safety broadcasts to keep other vessels clear of the tow and escorted the vessel into port with a MPA craft.

Photo credit: MarineTraffic / Arnold Pohen
Published: 25 September, 2026

Mass Flowmeter

TFG Marine deploys first MFM-equipped bunker barge in Jamaica

Bunker barge “Kingston Trader” is currently on its way to Jamaica following the successful installation of a Coriolis mass flow meter (MFM) system, certified to ISO 22192.

Published

14 hours ago

September 25, 2026

Admin

TFG Marine deploys first MFM-equipped bunker barge in Jamaica

Global marine fuel supply and procurement firm TFG Marine on Thursday (24 September) said its bunker barge Kingston Trader is currently on its way to Jamaica following the successful installation of a Coriolis mass flow meter (MFM) system, certified to ISO 22192.

The company said the latest installation brings the proportion of TFG Marine’s fleet equipped with MFMs to approximately 88%, marking another step in the continued rollout of this technology across its global bunkering operations.

“The barge will operate in Jamaica through our local partnership with Scott Petroleum, becoming the first bunkering vessel in the region equipped with this technology and bringing greater accuracy, transparency and assurance to fuel measurement for customers across the Caribbean,” TFG Marine said in a social media post.

“Together with Scott Petroleum, we look forward to working collaboratively with the Maritime Authority of Jamaica, the The Port Authority of Jamaica, Petrojam Limited and other stakeholders to share our experience of MFM technology, explore its wider benefits and support the continued development of bunkering standards across the region.”

Manifold Times previously reported TFG Marine continuing to expand MFM technology across its US Gulf Coast bunker fleet with Buffalo B414 and Buffalo B304 being fitted with the equipment.

Last year, TFG Marine announced it reached a key milestone in its global digitalisation programme with the installation of an ISO 22192-compliant MFM on the Buffalo 404, a barge on time charter from American bunker barge company Buffalo Marine Service Inc.

The installation was part of TFG Marine’s wider strategy to equip close to 90% of its global bunkering fleet with MFMs by 2026 as a commitment towards improving data integrity, streamlining operations and strengthening trust in marine fuel transactions.

Photo credit: TFG Marine
Published: 25 September, 2026