Stefka Wechsler of the global energy and commodity price reporting agency Argus Media on Wednesday (27 May) published a report on the sizable upswing in Argentinian VLSFO sales since the IMO 2020 sulphur limit came into effect:
Argentinian very low-sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) sales rose by 86% in the first quarter, driven by the 2020 global marine fuel sulphur regulation according to Argentina’s Petroleum and Gas Institute.
Sales reached 319,374t in the quarter ended 31 March, compared with 171,714t during the same period in 2019.
Argentinian residual fuel oil is produced locally from sweet Argentinian crude and meets the 0.5% sulphur limit set for marine fuel burned in international waters by the International Maritime Organization starting on 1 January. The fuel does not need to be blended or desulphurized.
Shell sold 98,987t of residual fuel oil for bunkering in Argentina in the first quarter, Trafigura sold 87,677t, YPF sold 80,593t and Pan American Energy sold 52,117t.
Buenos Aires is the biggest bunkering port in Argentina. Buenos Aires’ biggest competitors are the ports of Santos and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. Buenos Aires VLSFO retail bunkers are not the most price competitive in Latin America. For the period 1-26 May Argus VLSFO assessments showed the Buenos Aires – Santos premium averaged at $41/t and the Buenos Aires – Rio de Janeiro premium averaged at $16/t.
Argentina’s marine gasoil (MGO) sales were also up by 47% to 183,441m3 (about 162,340t) in the first quarter compared with the same period last year. YPF sold 66% of this quantity, Pan American Energy sold 27% and Shell sold 7%.
Exports down and destinations shift
Argentinian VLSFO production was up by 8.7% or 54,295t to 678,293t in the first quarter compared with the first quarter of 2019. But with domestic VLSFO bunker demand up by 147,660t for the quarter, the country’s VLSFO exports declined.
Argentina’s VLSFO exports to the US east coast were down, data from oil analytics firm Vortexa showed. But Argentina exported over 70,000t to Panama and over 108,800t to the Netherlands in the first five months of the year, compared with no exports to these locations for calendar 2019 and 2018. Panama is the biggest bunkering hub in the Caribbean and Central America and Rotterdam, the Netherlands is the biggest bunkering port in Europe.
Photo credit and source: Argus Media
Published: 28 May, 2020
Asian bunker demand plummets; estimated to decline a further 10-20% until virus outbreak is curbed, says analyst.
The bank is allegedly releasing its front office staff, and all clients with transactions in Singapore will be managed by its Hong Kong office, reports Bloomberg.
The company has entered a memorandum of agreement with Millenium Satu Ltd to acquire the 7,550 dwt oil tanker to increase service flexibility; vessel will be paid over an installment period of 36 months.
FMSI increasing production capacity through constructing a 40,000 square meter facility in Batam, Indonesia.
SIL undertook a corporate guarantee to fulfil requirements by MBSB Bank Berhad to secure facilities for TMD to run its ordinary course of business.
Refiner Urals Energy acquires portion of Kholmsk seaport and plans to market fuel oil product at port.
The top three positive movers in the 2020 bunker supplier list are Hong Lam Fuels Pte Ltd (+13); Chevron Singapore Pte Ltd (+12); and SK Energy International (+8), according to MPA list.
‘We will operate in the Singapore bunkering market from the Tokyo, with support from local staff at Sumitomo Corporation Singapore,’ source tells Manifold Times.
Changes include abolishing advance declaration of bunkers as dangerous cargo, reducing pilotage fees on vessels receiving bunkers, and a ‘whitelist’ system for bunker tankers.
Claim relates to deliveries of MGO to the vessels Pacific Diligence, Pacific Valkyrie, Pacific Defiance, Crest Alpha 1, and Pacific Warlock between March 2020 to April 2020.
3,490 mt of LSFO from Itochu Enex was lifted at Universal Terminal; the same bunker stem was bought by Global Marine Logistics and delivered by bunker tanker Juma to receiving vessel Kirana Nawa.
Representatives of Veritas Petroleum Services, Maersk, INTERTANKO, ElbOil Singapore, and SDE International provide insight from their respective fields of expertise on what lies ahead.
