The Global Ethanol Association (GEA) and DNV on Monday (24 August) announced the launch of a three-year Ethanol Data Intelligence Partnership, marking an important expansion of their activities in ethanol research and data intelligence. 

The collaboration will support the development of a structured global ethanol database together with ongoing research, data maintenance and regular updates throughout the partnership.

Under the agreement, GEA will develop and provide comprehensive ethanol fuel data intelligence which will be integrated and made available to users of DNV’s Alternative Fuels Insight (AFI) platform. This initiative is designed to improve visibility and transparency across the global ethanol industry by bringing together structured and traceable information on ethanol production facilities and their characteristics from a fuelgrade perspective.

 The research will progressively capture and map key information including production facilities and their locations, production capacities, feedstocks and raw materials, fuel and output categories, based on documented and traceable sources. The research framework places particular emphasis on data quality and source traceability, drawing on publicly available and other verifiable information.

“With Morten Jacobsen, our Secretary General, and on behalf of our association, we are very pleased to develop this new capability, which further reinforces our role as an international coordination and execution platform for the ethanol industry,” said Sylvain Zurcher, President of the Global Ethanol Association.

“Through this collaboration, we are establishing the research infrastructure needed to map ethanol production facilities globally from a fuel-grade perspective and transform fragmented information into structured and traceable market intelligence. By providing greater visibility into areas such as production capacity, feedstocks, fuel categories and other fields of research, our objective is to help reduce information asymmetries for market participants and support better-informed decisions across the ethanol value chain.”

“As we have expanded and added new assets to the AFI platform we have always looked to build around the provision of high quality, verifiable data. And from our first meeting with GEA we have been very impressed by their commitment to providing the industry with solid insights on ethanol and the way they have already been able to build a solid network within the industry. This is looking to be a very productive partnership, and we are positive that this new data intelligence from GEA will enable our AFI customers to explore new shipping fuel pathways with confidence,” said Nathaniel Frithiof, Sales Lead Digital Products, DNV.

By developing a dedicated ethanol research and data intelligence capability, GEA aims to strengthen the information infrastructure available to organizations who are looking to evaluate ethanol across both emerging and established markets and applications. This new activity complements GEA’s existing work across its marine and aviation sector initiatives, project groups, policy engagement, and market-development activities.

Photo credit: DNV
Published: 25 August, 2026

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:

• B100 nears parity with VLSFO in Rotterdam
• LBM $6/mt cheaper than HSFO for vessels with diesel SS engines
• Singapore’s LNG price jumps by $90/mt

Conventional fuel prices have risen at both Rotterdam and Singapore over the past week while B100 and Rotterdam’s B30 blends have fallen, handing the fuels that are favoured by EU regulations back much of the ground they lost last week. Four spreads have flipped outright, two at each port.

B100’s premium over VLSFO in Rotterdam has narrowed by $42/mt to $10/mt, leaving the two fuels within touching distance. Its premium over HSFO has narrowed by $71/mt to $107/mt.

The OceanScore FuelEU pooling index held flat this week, after last week’s €12.85/mtCO2e drop, so the compliance side of the move came from a rise in Dec26 EUA prices. ENGINE-assessed pooling values for B100 still rose $2/mt on EU-EU voyages, driven by a firmer euro.

B100’s discount to LSMGO in Rotterdam has widened by $61/mt to $523/mt.

In Singapore the pattern holds, but the gaps are wider. B100’s premium over VLSFO has narrowed by $24/mt to $298/mt, and its discount to LSMGO has widened by $11/mt to $42/mt.

Rotterdam’s B30-VLSFO has flipped from a $15/mt premium over VLSFO to a $23/mt discount, while B30-LSMGO’s discount to LSMGO has widened by $44/mt to $138/mt.

Rotterdam’s liquefied biomethane (LBM) has moved further. For vessels with diesel slow-speed (diesel SS) engines, it has flipped from a $16/mt premium over HSFO to a $6/mt discount, making it the cheapest fuel in the set on an EU-EU voyage. Its discount to VLSFO has narrowed by $7/mt to $103/mt.

For vessels with Otto medium-speed (Otto MS) engines, the position is less favourable, with methane slip both lifting the EUA bill and eroding the compliance surplus. LBM’s premium over VLSFO has widened by $10/mt to $66/mt, and its premium over B100 has widened by $52/mt to $56/mt, although the two fuels typically cater to different vessel types and are not directly comparable.

Rotterdam’s LBM holds discounts to LSMGO of $467-636/mt depending on engine type, $9-12/mt wider than a week earlier.

LNG has lost ground at both ports. Its premium over VLSFO in Rotterdam has widened by $43-46/mt to $182-343/mt depending on engine type, and in Singapore the premium over VLSFO for vessels with Otto MS engines has widened by $75/mt to $353/mt.

Singapore’s LNG has moved enough to turn two spreads around. For vessels with Otto MS engines, it has flipped from a $74/mt discount to a $14/mt premium over LSMGO, and B100 has swung from a $43/mt premium over LNG to a $56/mt discount, though again the two are not directly comparable.

For vessels with diesel SS engines, LNG holds its discount to LSMGO, but that has narrowed by $86/mt to $67/mt.

Liquid fuels

Rotterdam’s conventional fuel prices have gained $24-53/mt over the past week, with HSFO up the most. The port’s B100 price has fallen by $18/mt and its B30 grades by $1-14/mt.

The Dutch ZRE A price has remained unchanged at €130/mtCO2e over the past week.

Fuel availability has been tight for prompt supplies in the ARA, with buyers advised lead times of 5-7 days to get good coverage from suppliers, a trader said.

Singapore’s HSFO and VLSFO prices have gained $38/mt and $16/mt respectively, while LSMGO has edged up $3/mt. B100 has fallen by $8/mt.

Prompt bunker availability is tight in Singapore across all three main conventional grades. Suppliers are quoting lead times of about 4-9 days for LSMGO, 7-19 days for good VLSFO cover and 6-12 days indicatively for HSFO, a trader said.

The gains came as front-month ICE Brent futures rose by $3.73/bbl ($27/mt) to $92.78/bbl ($680/mt), while Dec26 EUA prices rose by $3.41/mtCO2e to $98.28/mtCO2e, adding to the compliance cost of every fossil grade.

Liquid gases

Rotterdam’s LNG prices have gained $67-70/mt depending on engine type, and the port’s LBM prices $31-34/mt.

LBM’s discount to LNG in Rotterdam has widened by $36/mt to $277-285/mt over the past week.

Singapore’s LNG prices have jumped by $89-90/mt, the largest weekly move of any fuel at either port.

By Erik Hoffmann

Photo credit and source: ENGINE
Published: 25 August, 2026

Biofuel producer Sunoil Biodiesel on Friday (21 August) said its inland barge, Birjo II, has been running successfully on B100, since the conversion of the barge.

The conversion of the barge to run on B100 was done in collaboration with BFT Tanker Logistics.

The Birjo II, owned by DK Shipping, is a large barge used for transporting biofuels on Dutch inland waterways. It is primarily used for transporting biodiesel from Sunoil’s production facility in Kampen to its storage locations, while also carrying out direct deliveries to customers.

By transitioning from fossil fuel to B100, the barge can reduce CO₂ emissions by up to 90% while continuing normal operations without replacing the engine itself. 

“Following its conversion from fossil fuel operation, the Birjo II has since started operating on 100% biodiesel (B100), and the experience in day-to-day operations is looking positive,” the company said in a social media post.

Johann de Koning, General Manager at BFT Tanker Logistics, said: “So far, everything is running quite well. The filter system is being monitored closely and, at this stage, the results are better than we had anticipated.”

Jeroen Hovius, CCO at Sunoil, said: “This milestone marks an important next step for Sunoil and BFT. The barge is now successfully running on our own Dutch-produced Sunoil B100 while transporting biodiesel between our locations and customers, putting renewable fuel into practice in day-to-day inland shipping operations.” 

Related: Dutch inland barge “Birjo II” to fully operate on B100 bio bunker fuel

Photo credit: Sunoil Biodiesel
Published: 24 August, 2026