Business

ENGINE: Americas Bunker Fuel Availability Outlook

Prompt supply available in Houston; availability tight in New Orleans; VLSFO supply tight in Zona Comun.

Published

3 years ago

July 7, 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:

6 July 2023

Prompt supply available in Houston
Availability tight in New Orleans
VLSFO supply tight in Zona Comun

North America

Demand has remained low in Houston for all grades, particularly HSFO. A few suppliers are now able to offer HSFO stems for prompt delivery dates there. Availability of VLSFO and LSMGO for prompt dates is normal in the port, with lead times of 3-4 days advised.

Bunker fuel availability is normal in Bolivar Roads. Recommended lead times for VLSFO and LSMGO are about 4-5 days.

VLSFO and LSMGO availability is normal in Baltimore, with a recommended lead time of 5-6 days.

Calmer weather condition has allowed bunkering to run smoothly in the Galveston Offshore Lightering Area (GOLA) this week. Suppliers in the GOLA can accommodate very prompt stems within 2-3 days of lead time. A few suppliers can deliver HSFO stems with a longer lead time of 5-7 days.

Availability of VLSFO and LSMGO have tightened for prompt dates at the New Orleans Outer Anchorage (NOLA) with an uptick in demand this week. Some suppliers can deliver VLSFO and LSMGO stems with lead times stretching to 10 days.

In the West Coast ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, demand has declined once again. A lead time of 6-7 days is generally recommended for VLSFO and LSMGO deliveries. HSFO can be difficult to secure amid fewer suppliers offering the grade.

VLSFO and LSMGO availability is tight in San Francisco. One supplier requires at least two weeks to deliver stems.

VLSFO and LSMGO availability is said to be normal in the East Coast port of New York.

Bunker operations have not been affected in the ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert due to the ongoing port workers’ strike in Canada’s British Columbia. One supplier can offer VLSFO and LSMGO stems in Vancouver with a lead time of 3-4 days.

Caribbean and Latin America

Prompt availability of VLSFO and LSMGO is normal in Panama’s Balboa and Cristobal. Several suppliers are able to offer stems within 4-5 days of lead time. Meanwhile, bunker buyers have been keen to book stems for delivery dates further out.

HSFO requires a longer lead time of about 10 days in Panamanian ports.

Prompt availability of VLSFO and LSMGO is normal off Trinidad. However, strong wind gusts of up to 31 knots are forecast to hit off Trinidad between Thursday and Sunday, which could likely disrupt bunkering there.

Prompt VLSFO supply has tightened in Argentina’s Zona Comun. Most suppliers can deliver VLSFO stems from 14 July. LSMGO, meanwhile, is available for prompt delivery dates in Zona Comun. Strong wind gusts are forecast to hit the region on Thursday evening, which could disrupt bunkering there.

In Brazil, bunker demand has been good for Santos and Paranaguá this week. Suppliers are mostly able to offer VLSFO stems for prompt dates in both ports.

Brazilian oil and gas major Petrobras has started LSMGO supply at the Brazilian port of Suape this month.

By Debarati Bhattacharjee

Photo credit and source: ENGINE
Published: 7 July, 2023

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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.

Published

16 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

17 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

17 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