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Argus Media: Singapore’s VLSFO bunker price range widens

Prices of VLSFO bunkers in Singapore on the spot market have been in a wide range of up to $30/t due to tightness in cargo market, depending on delivery dates.

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Prices of very-low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) bunkers in Singapore on the spot market have been in a wide range of up to $30/t, depending on delivery dates, because of tightness in the cargo market, according to Argus data.

24 May, 2022

VLSFO bunkers for delivery in May were priced up to $970/t on 23 May, while deliveries for the end of the first week of June were reported at around $940/t.

VLSFO cargo supplies in Singapore are expected to be tight up until around mid-June, according to market participants, with low-sulphur residual inflows to Singapore from the west of Suez and Asia-Pacific being around just 1.5mn-1.8mn t in May. This is lower than the approximate 2.5mn t/month average last year, because of a steep backwardation in Singapore making the arbitrage from the west of Suez unviable.

The Singapore balance May-June 0.5pc sulphur marine fuel backwardation was also estimated at around a steep $40.50/t on 23 May, at the close of the afternoon online trading window. The June-July backwardation also rose to $38/t yesterday, reaching record highs since Argus began assessments in November 2019.

Low-sulphur residual inflows to Singapore had previously been depressed in March and April, averaging about 2mn t/month or slightly above that, because of Russian supply losses tightening supplies in Europe and the US, and consequently flows to Singapore, according to traders and analysts.

Singapore’s onshore residual fuel oil inventories had fallen sharply to over two-year lows of 17.456mn bl in the week to 11 May, according to Enterprise Singapore data, before edging up to 18.77mn bl in the following week.

A wide range in delivered bunker prices in Singapore is considered unusual ever since the mandatory introduction of mass flow meters (MFMs) came into effect from 1 January 2017 for all marine fuel oil grades. By measuring the fuel delivered on the ship based on mass instead of volume, suppliers have less of a margin to charge different prices to the consumer. As a result, the range of bunker prices is typically not more than $4-5/t.

Supply tightness in the market in a high outright price environment, with crude price volatility during the trading session, could explain why prices are now diverging.

The premium of delivered VLSFO over the cargo price has as a result risen to yearly highs, and was assessed at $75/t on 20 May, according to Argus data. Typically, the delivered premium is around $10-15/t.

Singapore is the world’s largest bunker hub, with nearly 50mn t of bunker fuel supplied in 2021, according to data from the country’s Maritime and Port Authority (MPA).

Argus has so far in May reported an average of 11 spot bunker deals per day, of which half were VLSFO.

By Sammy Six and Sarah Giam

 

Photo credit: Argus Media
Published: 25 May, 2022

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Technology

Singapore: Ofiniti, ONE trial direct platform integration to streamline bunker workflows

Ofiniti started a trial in Singapore, integrating FuelBoss directly with a bunker buyer’s own platform, with Ocean Network Express as its first buyer-side integration partner.

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Singapore: Ofiniti, ONE trial direct platform integration to streamline bunker workflows

Ofiniti, the digital platform for maritime fuel operations, on Tuesday (21 July) said it has started a trial in Singapore, integrating FuelBoss directly with a bunker buyer’s own platform.

The company announced Singapore-headquartered container shipping firm Ocean Network Express (ONE) as its first buyer-side integration partner. 

“It is no coincidence we start in Singapore, as the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) remains at the forefront of digitalisation of all things bunkering,” the company said in a social media post.

In November 2023, MPA launched its digital bunkering platform, becoming the world’s first port to implement e-BDN. 

Ofiniti said every bunker delivery still runs on retyped data. 

“The buyer’s system says one thing, the supplier says another, and someone reconciles the gap by email, phone, or PDF. On every stem,” the company said. 

“We built FuelBoss to change this reality.”

With the integration, operational data now flows without manual re-entry, fewer reconciliation errors and faster processing and data, instead of documents, are readily available for procurement and claims workflows. 

“One connection will not transform the industry on its own, but digitalisation gets built one integration at a time. We are grateful to ONE for being willing to go first,” Ofiniti added.

Manifold Times previously reported ONE completing its successful trial of the electronic Bunker Delivery Note (e-BDN) with Shell. 

The e-BDN trial, using the digital bunkering solution developed by Angsana Technology, was conducted on 9 September 2023 at the Port of Singapore, with support from the MPA.

In March 2025, Ofiniti acquired Singapore-based Angsana Technology, with the entire Angsana team joining Ofiniti as part of the acquisition.

Related: MPA Chief Executive: Port of Singapore begins digital bunkering initiative today
Related: Singapore set to become first port in the world to debut electronic bunker delivery notes
Related: ONE completes e-BDN adoption trial with Shell in Port of Singapore
Related: Ofiniti acquires Singapore-based Angsana Technology to advance digital bunkering solutions

 

Photo credit: Ofiniti
Published: 22 July, 2026

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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.

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RESIZED Sora Shimazaki on Pexels

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.

Related: Singapore: Hin Leong Founder OK Lim gets jail term slashed to 13.5 years

 

Photo credit: Sora Shimazaki
Published: 21 July, 2026

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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.

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RESIZED Drew Beamer

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.

Related: Singapore: Director declares Heng Tong Fuels & Shipping’s inability to continue business
Related: Heng Tong Fuels & Shipping in court over DBS Bank bunker tanker loan
Related: Singapore: Bunker tanker “Coastal Neptune” arrested
Related: Heng Tong Fuels & Shipping, Coastal Logistics tankers enter S&P market

 

Photo credit: Drew Beamer
Published: 21 July, 2026

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