Business

ENGINE: Americas Bunker Fuel Availability Outlook

Prompt supply tight in Houston; suppliers pricing VLSFO competitively in Zona Comun; bad weather impacts GOLA bunkering.

Published

3 years ago

April 28, 2023

Admin

The following article regarding bunker fuel availability in the Americas region has been provided by online marine fuel procurement platform ENGINE for post on Singapore bunkering publication Manifold Times:

27 April 2023

Prompt supply tight in Houston
Suppliers pricing VLSFO competitively in Zona Comun
Bad weather impacts GOLA bunkering

North America

Securing VLSFO and LSMGO stems for very prompt delivery dates (0-2 days) in the Houston area and off the US Gulf Coast is difficult. Some suppliers in Houston have held back offers for very prompt dates due to tight delivery schedules, while some are expecting VLSFO replenishments. A lead time of five days is generally recommended to ensure coverage from all suppliers.

In Bolivar Roads, one supplier can supply VLSFO and LSMGO stems with lead times of six days.

Bad weather has triggered intermittent bunker suspensions in the Galveston Offshore Lightering Area (GOLA) in recent days. Ongoing bad weather has forced some suppliers to hold back deliveries.

As a result, it can be hard to fix VLSFO and LSMGO deliveries for prompt dates in GOLA. One supplier is hesitant to supply prompt stems as it works to clear previous weather backlogs, a source says. The supplier is unable to guarantee prompt dates for deliveries.

VLSFO and LSMGO availability is said to be normal at the New Orleans Outer Anchorage (NOLA).

Bunker fuel availability is normal in the East Coast port of New York.

Caribbean and Latin America

Bunker fuel availability is said to be normal in Panama’s Balboa and Cristobal. One supplier can supply VLSFO and LSMGO stems for very prompt dates (0-2 days) in Balboa, while HSFO supply requires lead times of at least 3-4 days.

VLSFO and LSMGO availability is normal off Trinidad. One supplier can supply stems on prompt dates.

One supplier in Paramaribo is running low on VLSFO stocks, a source says. Another supplier requires at least 4-5 days of lead times.

Prompt availability of VLSFO and LSMGO is normal in Colombia’s Santa Marta. In Buenaventura, one supplier can supply LSMGO stems through trucks but requires at least seven days of lead time.

Availability of VLSFO and LSMGO is normal at Argentina’s Zona Comun anchorage. The earliest delivery date with a supplier is about five days, while another supplier requires lead times of six days. Suppliers in Zona Comun have been pricing VLSFO at rare discounts or at parity with Houston’s VLSFO since February.

Argentina is a major grain exporter, but a recent drought in the country has curbed crop production, which has had a knock-on impact on exports and bunker demand. Some Argentinian suppliers are struggling with ample bunker stocks. This has added to the downward pressure on prices as they have been keen to sell their products.

VLSFO availability is good in Brazil’s Santos port. One supplier is able to supply stems for prompt dates.

By Nithin Chandran

Photo credit and source: ENGINE
Published: 28 April, 2023

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.

Published

15 hours ago

July 21, 2026

Admin

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.

Photo credit: Sora Shimazaki
Published: 21 July, 2026

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.

Published

15 hours ago

July 21, 2026

Admin

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.

Photo credit: Drew Beamer
Published: 21 July, 2026

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.

Published

15 hours ago

July 21, 2026

Admin

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