ENGINE on Fuel Switch Snapshot: Rotterdam’s LBM at greater discounts

Once a week, bunker intelligence platform ENGINE will publish a snapshot of alternative and conventional bunker fuel prices in the world’s two biggest bunkering hubs. The following is the latest snapshot:

• LBM now $213-375/mt cheaper than B100
• B100’s discount to VLSFO widens in Rotterdam
• Singapore’s VLSFO-B100 spread at $471/mt

The ENGINE-assessed FuelEU Maritime pooling value has edged slightly up over the past week. The pooling value for B100 consumed on EU–EU voyages has increased by $2/mt to $678/mt.

Ships will not rack up any EU ETS costs when they run on 100% biofuel (B100) or 100% liquefied biomethane (LBM).

With an HBE-rebate, the effective cost of bunkering B100 in Rotterdam and consuming it between EU ports comes down to $478/mt, which is $130–354/mt cheaper than conventional fuels.

LBM’s FuelEU pooling value has increased by $3/mt to $941–1,102/mt, which brings down cost of bunkering HBE-rebated LBM in Rotterdam to just $116–277/mt.

A higher compliance surplus price has widened LBM’s discount to VLSFO in Rotterdam by $21–22/mt in the past week, to $392–554/mt. Its discount to B100 has gone up by $11–12/mt to $213–375/mt, depending on the vessel’s engine type and methane slip bracket.

Liquid fuels

Rotterdam’s VLSFO price has gained $8/mt in the past week, mostly tracking a $10/mt ($1.37/bbl) rise in front-month ICE Brent futures. The port’s LSMGO benchmark has moved in the opposite direction, clocking a $44/mt drop in the past week.

Singapore’s VLSFO price has edged down by $3/mt, while its LSMGO has plunged $63/mt lower on the week.

B100 prices in Rotterdam (-$1/mt) and Singapore (+$1/mt) have remained mostly steady in the past week.

Rotterdam B100’s discount to VLSFO has widened by $10/mt on the week to $179/mt, while its discount to LSMGO has narrowed by a sharp $44/mt to $354/mt.

Singapore’s B100 has inched $4/mt further away from its VLSFO and is now at a $471/mt premium.

Liquid gases

Rotterdam’s LNG and LBM bunker prices have each declined by $13/mt in the past week. LBM’s discount to fossil LNG in Rotterdam has widened by a slight $1/mt to $397/mt.

The port’s LNG bunker price has mostly been driven lower by a 4% drop in the front-month Dutch TTF Natural Gas contract.

Singapore’s LNG bunker price has moved lower by $6/mt in the past week, mirroring a drop in the NYMEX Japan/Korea Marker (JKM) index. Weak spot demand in the Chinese LNG market has weighed on the JKM benchmark.

LNG stands at a $63/mt premium over VLSFO in Singapore for vessels with Otto medium speed engines, but shifts to a $18/mt discount for vessels with diesel slow speed engines.

By Konica Bhatt

Photo credit: ENGINE
Published: 9 December, 2025