Business

ENGINE: Americas Bunker Fuel Availability Outlook

HSFO supply tight in Houston; prompt availability tight in Brazilian ports; high winds could disrupt bunkering in Zona Comun.

Published

3 years ago

August 18, 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:

HSFO supply tight in Houston
Prompt availability tight in Brazilian ports
High winds could disrupt bunkering in Zona Comun

North America

Bunker demand in Houston has risen this week. Most suppliers in Houston have adequate availability of VLSFO and LSMGO. Both grades can be secured in Houston with 3-4 days lead time. HSFO remains tighter in Houston, partly because of fewer suppliers offering the grade. Two suppliers are unable to commit to HSFO stems with 7-9 days of lead time.

Similarly, LSMGO and VLSFO availability remains normal for prompt dates in Bolivar Roads. However, securing HSFO can be trickier for prompt dates.

The availability of all grades has tightened for prompt dates in Beaumont and Port Arthur. Lead times of more than seven days are recommended by suppliers there.

The cost of feedstocks used for fuel oil blending remains high. That has kept VLSFO and LSMGO prices elevated in Beaumont, a trader says. Some physical bunker suppliers are waiting for the cost to reduce in order to book replenishment cargoes.

At the New Orleans Outer Anchorage (NOLA), VLSFO and LSMGO can be secured for very prompt dates (0-3 days).

Calmer weather condition has allowed bunkering to run smoothly in the Galveston Offshore Lightering Area (GOLA). Suppliers in the GOLA can accommodate LSMGO and VLSFO stems within 2-3 days of lead time. HSFO is tight in the region, but one supplier is able to deliver stems for prompt dates.

Demand has remained better than normal in the West Coast ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Bunker fuel availability in the West Coast ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles is good and most suppliers are able to deliver stems with a lead time of 4-7 days.

VLSFO and LSMGO grades are readily available in the East Coast port of New York.

Caribbean and Latin America

Bunker fuel demand has dropped across Panama’s ports amid vessel transit restrictions imposed by the Panama Canal Authority. Due to the low water level in Gatun Lake, the Panama Canal Authority has limited the number of vessels that can cross the waterway, resulting in a substantial increase in waiting time there.

Several bunker buyers are now opting to take deliveries at the US Gulf Coast ports instead of Panama, a trader says. Availability of all fuel grades is normal in Panama’s Balboa and Cristobal.

Demand has picked up this week in the Brazilian ports of Santos, Rio Grande and Rio de Janeiro. Availability of VLSFO and LSMGO remains tight for prompt dates, with several suppliers recommending lead times of 7-8 days.

Prompt availability of both VLSFO and HSFO is tight off Trinidad and delivery prospects are subject to enquiries, a source says.

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 the last week of August a source said.

Bunker suppliers in Zona Comun have been warned about delays in barge loadings and bunker deliveries between Friday and Sunday due to the forecast of rough weather conditions. Strong wind gusts ranging between 26-35 knots are forecast to hit Zona Comun on Friday.

By Debarati Bhattacharjee

Photo credit and source: ENGINE
Published: 18 August, 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