Bunker Fuel

JLC China Bunker Market Monthly Report (April 2026)

China’s bonded bunker fuel sales continued to grow in April, as the country’s LSFO supply increased and its bonded bunker fuel prices were still competitive, according to JLC.

Published

2 months ago

May 13, 2026

Admin

JLC China Bunker Market Monthly Report (April 2026)

Beijing-based commodity market information provider JLC Network Technology Co. recently shared its JLC China Bunker monthly report for April 2026 with Manifold Times through an exclusive arrangement:

Bunker Fuel Demand

China’s bonded bunker fuel sales continue to grow in April

China’s bonded bunker fuel sales continued to grow in April, as the country’s low-sulfur fuel oil (LSFO) supply increased and its bonded bunker fuel prices were still competitive.

The country sold about 1.88 million mt of bonded bunker fuel in April, with the daily sales at 62,700 mt, up by 4.93% month on month and 6.71% year on year, JLC’s data shows.

Specifically, the sales of the ports in East China, including Zhoushan Port and Shanghai Port, increased significantly amid price advantages and good weather, while those of northern ports slipped as their bonded bunker fuel prices were relatively high.

Regarding the sales by supplier, the sales by Chimbusco, Sinopec (Zhoushan), SinoBunker, and China Changjiang Bunker (Sinopec) respectively settled at 470,000 mt, 570,000 mt, 85,000 mt, and 15,000 mt in the month, while those by suppliers with regional bunkering licenses settled at 741,000 mt. China’s LSFO output surges in April

China’s LSFO output surged in April, as global bunkering demand improved and domestic refiners saw considerable production margins.

Chinese refiners produced roughly 1.22 million mt of LSFO in the month, with the daily output at 40,733 mt, surging by 27.55% month on month and 17.16% year on year, JLC’s data shows.

The ongoing conflict in the Middle East forced many ships to continue detours, pushing up their consumption of bunker fuels. Meanwhile, more shipowners chose to refuel in Chinese ports where bonded bunker fuel prices were more competitive. In addition, domestic refiners showed higher production enthusiasm amid considerable margins.

Sinopec’s LSFO output climbed in the month. Most refineries, including Qingdao Petrochemical, Shengli Oilfield, Shanghai Petrochemical, Shanghai Gaoqiao Petrochemical, Maoming Petrochemical, and ZhongKe (Guangdong) Refinery & Petrochemical, ramped up their production.

PetroChina’s LSFO output increased as well, with Liaohe Petrochemical, Jinzhou Petrochemical, Jinxi Petrochemical, and Dagang Petrochemical boosting output. CNOOC’s Daxie Petrochemical resumed normal LSFO production and delivery in April, while Taizhou Petrochemical raised its output. Meanwhile, Huizhou Petrochemical maintained stable production. Zhongjie Petrochemical did not produce any LSFO in the month.

ZPC and Sinochem did not produce any LSFO in April, but the latter produced and exported 10,000 mt of MGO.

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Domestic-trade heavy bunker fuel demand weakens in April

Domestic-trade heavy bunker fuel demand slid to 320,000 mt in April, with the daily demand at 10,667 mt, down by 2.75% month on month, JLC’s data shows.

Shipowners stood on the sidelines as bunker fuel prices continued to rise and downstream transportation demand was weak. Meanwhile, trade in North China was tepid as the operation of local ports was hindered to some extent.

On the other hand, domestic-trade light bunker fuel demand settled at 140,000 mt in April, with the daily demand at 4,667 mt, a rally of 11.28% month on month, the data shows. Bunkering demand from marine diesel engines increased amid warmer weather and more active coastal shipping.

Bunker Fuel Supply

China’s bonded bunker fuel imports continue to rise in March

Chinese bunker suppliers continued to increase their bonded bunker fuel imports in March.

They imported 823,000 mt of bonded bunker fuel in the month, a boost of 8.48% month on month and 23.61% year on year, calculations show, based on data from the GACC.

The arrivals of imported high-sulfur fuel oil (HSFO) increased as the economic efficiency of HSFO bunkering remained high, while those of imported LSFO decreased amid larger domestic production.

China’s bonded bunker fuel imports mainly came from Asian countries, and the impact of the geopolitical conflicts in the Middle East on the overall imports was relatively limited. In addition, most import orders were made in early to mid-February, before the outbreak of the conflict.

Regarding the imports by source, Malaysia became the largest supplier by shipping 282,600 mt of bonded bunker fuel to China, accounting for 34.34% of the latter’s total imports. Russia climbed to the second place with 226,300 mt, accounting for 27.50%, while Singapore slipped to the third place with 204,800 mt, representing 24.89%. The imports from South Korea and Japan settled at 70,000 mt and 39,300 mt, accounting for 8.50% and 4.77%, respectively.

China’s bonded bunker fuel imports totaled 2.04 million mt in the first quarter of this year, a surge of 33.64% year on year, calculations show.

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Domestic-trade heavy bunker fuel supply tightens in April

Chinese blenders supplied 350,000 mt of domestic-trade heavy bunker fuel in April, with the daily supply at 11,667 mt, a decline of 4.82% month on month, JLC’s data shows.

Downstream buying interest in heavy bunker fuel was low, coupled with high blendstock prices, limiting blenders’ production enthusiasm.

By contrast, domestic-trade marine gas oil (MGO) supply settled at 180,000 mt in April, with the daily supply at 6,000 mt, soaring by 16.25% from the previous month, the data shows. Downstream demand improved, and refineries raised their MGO yields.

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Bunker Prices, Profits

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Editor
Yvette Luo
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Sales (Beijing)
Tony Tang
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Sales (Singapore)
Ginny Teo
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JLC Network Technology Co., Ltd is recognised as the leading information provider in China. We specialise in providing the transparent, high-value, authoritative market intelligence and professional analysis in commodity market. Our expertise covers oil, gas, coal, chemical, plastic, rubber, fertilizer and metal industry, etc.

JLC China Bunker Fuel Market Monthly Report is published by JLC Network Technology Co., Ltd every month on China bunker market, demand, supply, margin, freight index, forecast and so on. The report provides full-scale & concise insight into China bunker oil market.

Note: China-based commodity market information provider JLC Technology has been providing Singapore bunkering publication Manifold Times China bunker volume data since 2020. Data from earlier periods are available here.

Photo credit: JLC Network Technology
Published: 13 May, 2026

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Legal

Singapore: Bunker Partner succeeds in High Court bid to wind up Victory Shipping

Estonia-based marine fuels and commodities trading company Bunker Partner filed a winding up application against Victory Shipping on 13 April.

Published

3 days ago

June 26, 2026

Admin

Singapore: Estonian firm Bunker Partner files bid to wind up of Victory Shipping

The High Court of Singapore granted a winding up order against Victory Shipping Pte Ltd on 12 June, according to a Thursday (25 June) notice on the Government Gazette.

The winding up application was filed by Estonia-based marine fuels and commodities trading company Bunker Partner on 13 April.

Victory Shipping, with representations in Malaysia, India and the U.A.E., operates dry bulk shipping contracts around the globe with voyages performed mainly in the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

The winding up order also included the following name and address of a liquidator:

Mr Farooq Ahmad Mann
C/o M/s Mann & Associates PAC
3 Shenton Way #03-06C
Shenton House
Singapore 068805

The notice noted that all creditors of the Victory Shipping should file their proof of debt with the liquidator who will be administering all the affairs of the company.

Manifold Times previously reported a virtual hearing between Victory Shipping and Integr8 Fuels Pte Ltd, organised by the High Court of the Republic of Singapore.

The event was to set aside a statutory demand served on 3 October 2025 by Integr8 Fuels lawyers under Section 125(2)(c) and Section 10 of the Insolvency, Restructuring and Dissolution Act 2018 (IRDA) against Victory Shipping, according to court documents obtained by the bunkering publication.

Integr8 Fuels provides bunker trading and brokerage services to shipowners and operators that enables them to optimise fuel procurement.

Photo credit: Manifold Times
Published: 26 June, 2026

Digital platform

VPS debuts VeriSphere Webshop, enhancing digital access to marine fuel solutions

Key addition is the MySurveys application, designed to support bunker quantity survey processes by providing detailed insights into quantity losses, density variations, and bunkering performance.

Published

3 days ago

June 26, 2026

Admin

VPS debuts VeriSphere Webshop, enhancing digital access to marine fuel solutions

Marine fuels testing company VPS on Thursday (25 June) announced the launch of its VeriSphere Webshop, a major step forward in the evolution of its digital platform and customer experience.

The new webshop provides customers with direct, self-service access to a growing portfolio of VPS products and services, including digital applications, Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and sampling equipment; enabling faster, more flexible engagement with VPS’s global offerings.

The VeriSphere Webshop has been designed to simplify how shipowners, operators, and stakeholders across the marine fuel value chain, access critical tools and data. Through a streamlined interface, users can:

Browse and subscribe to VPS digital applications
Purchase services and products directly online
Discover complementary solutions tailored to their operational needs from VPS as well as its ecosystem partners

Alongside the launch of the webshop module, VPS continues to expand the capabilities of its VeriSphere platform, introducing new applications and enhancing existing solutions to deliver deeper operational insights.

A key addition is the MySurveys application, designed to support bunker quantity survey processes by providing detailed insights into quantity losses, density variations, and bunkering performance. This capability represents an important step in the digitalisation of traditionally manual survey processes, enabling greater transparency and benchmarking across operations.

Further enhancements across the platform reinforce VPS’s commitment to delivering actionable, data-driven insights across fuel quality, equipment performance, and operational risk management.

With continuous improvements to applications such as PortStats and the broader VeriSphere suite, VPS is enabling customers to move beyond static reporting toward pro-active operational intelligence.

By combining its extensive global fuel quality database with advanced analytics and digital delivery, VPS aims to empowere its customers to identify risks early, optimise fuel performance, simplify compliance and improve operational efficiency.

Dr. Malcolm Cooper, CEO at VPS, said: “The launch of the VeriSphere Webshop marks an important milestone in our digital journey.

“We are making it easier than ever for our customers to access the data, insights, and tools they need, when they need them. As the maritime industry continues to evolve, our focus is on delivering scalable, digital solutions that drive better decision-making, improve operational performance of vessels, prevent downtime and support the transition towards more sustainable maritime operations.”

VPS added that the VeriSphere Platform will continue to evolve with an expanding portfolio of products, services, and ecosystem partnerships.

Photo credit: VPS
Published: 26 June, 2026

Alternative Fuels

ICS report: LNG and biofuels seen as most viable marine fuels over next decade

This was followed closely by HFO combined with abatement technologies while methanol ranked in fourth place, according to ICS’s new Maritime Barometer Report.

Published

3 days ago

June 26, 2026

Admin

A new report by the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), published on Tuesday (23 June) found that LNG and biofuels are seen as the most viable marine fuels over the next decade.

This was followed closely by HFO (Heavy Fuel Oil) combined with abatement technologies while methanol ranked in fourth place.

The report found that in 2025 to 2026, maritime leaders are displaying a preference for traditional fuels that have established supply mechanisms.

The ICS Maritime Barometer Report 2025–2026 surveyed C-suite level leaders, shipowners, and operators worldwide to identify the key risk areas shaping shipping.

Despite slight decline, LNG shared top spot with biofuels as one of three most viable future fuels over the next decade.

LNG maintained its position as a joint leading fuel in the Barometer, with roughly 51.35% of leaders naming it as one of the most viable fuels over the next decade.

“This is despite a marginal softening in sentiment amongst maritime leaders compared to last year’s survey, reflecting its continued role as the most immediately scalable alternative within the current fuel mix,” the report said.

However, the report noted that this positioning is increasingly shaped not just by infrastructure maturity, but by how geopolitical instability translates into fuel-specific perceptions of security, routing exposure, and price volatility across global trade flows.

This is particularly evident in Asia-Pacific and the Middle East, where LNG’s role is reinforced through continued investment in import and bunkering infrastructure.

Singapore remains the world’s leading LNG bunkering hub, supported by expanding small-scale supply chains and vessel availability, while South Korea and China are rapidly scaling receiving and bunkering capacity to support both shipping and power demand growth.

Biofuels record one of the sharpest increases in sentiment across the future fuels landscape to match LNG at 51.35% in this year’s report.

“This could reflect a shift driven less by structural conviction and more by operational response to heightened uncertainty in global energy and trade systems,” it said.

Their growing prominence could be closely linked to the increasing attractiveness of low-friction compliance options in a context where alternative fuels remain constrained by uneven infrastructure development, fragmented regulatory alignment, and delayed capital deployment across key regions.

Compared with LNG, which is shaped by infrastructure lock-in and geopolitical price exposure, biofuels offer immediate operational flexibility.

Japan has emerged as a key driver of marine biofuel adoption, with government-backed trials involving major shipping lines such as NYK testing biofuel blends on international routes. China has also expanded pilot programmes using biodiesel and waste-derived fuels in coastal shipping, reflecting a pragmatic approach to emissions reduction in regional trade flows.

Note: The ‘ICS Maritime Barometer Report 2025–2026’ can be viewed here.

Photo credit: william william on Unsplash
Published: 26 June, 2026