Business

ENGINE: Americas Bunker Fuel Availability Outlook

LSMGO tight in NOLA; prompt HSFO supply improves in Panama; bad weather hinders Zona Comun bunkering.

Published

3 years ago

July 14, 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:

13 July 2023

LSMGO tight in NOLA
Prompt HSFO supply improves in Panama
Bad weather hinders Zona Comun bunkering

North America

Demand for all fuel grades has improved in Houston this week. VLSFO and LSMGO grades are generally in good supply with suppliers in the Houston area. Most suppliers are able to deliver stems with 2-3 days of lead time, as well as on dates further out. HSFO needs a longer lead time of 6-7 days with most suppliers. However, one supplier can deliver it on very prompt dates.

Several cases of contaminated VLSFO stems supplied in the US Gulf Coast region have been reported in the past month, particularly in Houston and New Orleans. Several vessels using these fuels have reported loss of power.

Prompt delivery of VLSFO and LSMGO is possible in Bolivar Roads with a recommended lead time of 3-4 days. However, deliveries there are subject to weather conditions and anchorage space, a source says.

Similarly, availability of VLSFO and LSMGO is good in Beaumont and Port Arthur, but demand has been low in these ports this week.

Availability of VLSFO and LSMGO is normal for prompt dates in the Galveston Offshore Lightering Area (GOLA), a source says. The offshore area is forecast to experience favourable weather conditions this week, which would allow smooth bunker deliveries there.

Most suppliers can offer VLSFO for prompt dates at the New Orleans Outer Anchorage (NOLA) within five days. However, LSMGO availability can be tight with few suppliers and prices can fluctuate greatly between suppliers at the location, a source says.

Availability of VLSFO and LSMGO is good in the West Coast ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Recommended delivery time of several suppliers are between 5-7 days, which is better than normal in the West Coast ports. HSFO stems can also be secured, and has a longer lead time of more than seven days.

Bunker operations have not been affected in the ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert due to the port workers’ strike in Canada’s British Columbia., a source said. Availability of all fuel grades is tight for prompt dates in Vancouver.

Securing HSFO deliveries in New York is difficult for prompt dates. Only three suppliers are able to offer HSFO stems in the port now, according to a source. Availability of VLSFO and LSMGO in the port remains good for prompt dates.

Caribbean and Latin America

Prompt availability of all fuel grades is normal in Panama’s Balboa and Cristobal. One supplier is able to deliver HSFO stems in the ports with a lead time of three days, up from last week’s 10-day lead time. Several other suppliers can deliver HSFO stems in Balboa only within 4-6 days of lead time.

Meanwhile, some bunker buyers have been keen to book Panama stems for dates between the end of August and September.

HSFO is tight for prompt dates off Trinidad. VLSFO and LSMGO can be secured with a lead time of 5-7 days.

Demand has been low this week in the Brazilian ports of Santos, Rio Grande and Rio de Janeiro. Availability of VLSFO and LSMGO remains good for prompt dates with most suppliers.

Availability of VLSFO and LSMGO stems is tight at Argentina’s Zona Comun anchorage. The earliest delivery dates with several suppliers in Zona Comun stretch up to 22-23 July, a source said.

Bunker operations have been suspended in Zona Comun due to rough weather conditions. The area is currently experiencing strong gale-force wind gusts of up to 35 knots. The weather is expected to clear up from Thursday evening and deliveries are expected to restart. However, delays are expected as a large number of vessels is due to arrive.

By Debarati Bhattacharjee

Photo credit and source: ENGINE
Published: 14 July, 2023

Up Next

Hong Kong: Banle Energy completes its first B24 biofuel bunkering operation, commits to decarbonisation

Don't Miss

Singapore: Annual general meetings scheduled for Xihe Holdings subsidiaries

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

14 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

14 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

14 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