Business

ENGINE: East of Suez Bunker Fuel Availability Outlook

VLSFO and HSFO availability remains tight in Singapore; South Korean and Chinese ports recover from typhoon disruptions; availability steady for all grades in Hong Kong.

Published

4 years ago

September 7, 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:

6 September 2022

VLSFO and HSFO availability remains tight in Singapore
South Korean and Chinese ports recover from typhoon disruptions
Availability steady for all grades in Hong Kong

Singapore

Fuel oil grades are in tight availability in Singapore, while gasoil is more readily available. Lead times for VLSFO are 11-13 days and 9-13 days for HSFO. LSMGO has a much shorter lead time of 3-5 days.

Singapore’s residual fuel oil inventories increased by 7% in the week ending 31 August, but averaged 3% lower in over the whole of August than in July, according to Enterprise Singapore.

The port’s fuel oil inventories fell to record lows in early August before growing gradually with support from a greater net import surplus later in the month. Imports averaged 14% higher than in July, while exports averaged 9% lower.

East Asia

Bunker suppliers in Zhoushan stopped supplying last Friday, when super typhoon Hinnamnor brought rough weather to the region. Bunker operations continued to be suspended at Zhoushan’s outer port limit (OPL) on Tuesday amid heavy swells, but could resume by Wednesday, according to White Whale Shipping Agency.

While bunkering has been capped by the recent weather disruptions in Zhoushan, there is almost no backlog of vessels in the port, a source says. VLSFO and LSMGO availability remains steady with lead time of two days. Availability of HSFO can still be tight with lead times of 4-8 days, sources say.

Bunkering remained suspended across South Korean ports on Tuesday and is only expected to resume on Thursday, sources say. Typhoon Hinnamnor made landfall in Geoje on South Korea’s southern coast on Monday, before continuing north over Busan and Ulsan.

South Korea’s southern ports were right in Hinnamnor’s path and took harder hits than the country’s western ports. Disrupted bunker schedules has pushed back recommended lead times for all grades to around two weeks with suppliers in southern ports. Lead times are 9-13 days for in western ports.

Availability of VLSFO, LSMGO and HSFO remains steady in Hong Kong with lead times of around four days.

South Asia

Availability of VLSFO remains good across the Indian ports of Mumbai, Cochin, Chennai and Kandla with lead times of 2-3 days recommended.

A longer six days of lead time is recommended for VLSFO and HSFO in Mundra. Visakhapatnam is almost out of VLSFO. A supplier expects replenishment stocks to arrive next week.

Colombo’s VLSFO and LSMGO availability remains slightly tight. A supplier has good supply of VLSFO and LSMGO in Colombo and Trincomalee, and anticipates a replenishment cargo of VLSFO to arrive in the coming weeks.

Middle East

Availability of HSFO and LSMGO remains slightly tight for prompt dates in Fujairah. Recommended lead times are around seven days for VLSFO and LSMGO and nine days for HSFO. Some suppliers can offer VLSFO for prompter dates, a trader says.

By Tuhin Roy and Nithin Chandran

Photo credit and source: ENGINE
Published: 7 September, 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

23 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

23 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

23 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