The following article regarding bunker fuel availability in the Americas region has been provided by online marine fuel procurement platform ENGINE for post on Singapore bunkering publication Manifold Times:
6 October 2022
By Nithin Chandran
North America
Prompt VLSFO and LSMGO grades are readily available in the Houston area, New York and off the US Gulf Coast. Houston’s VLSFO and HSFO benchmarks fell to multi-month lows last week, but have recovered some of these losses mainly due to Brent’s rebound.
Houston’s HSFO price fell to rare discounts to Rotterdam’s in rent days, before flipping back to a small premium now. Its HSFO availability has held up better than Rotterdam’s, where prompt supply can be hard to find.
Houston’s bunker fuel availability has remained normal in recent weeks, compared to other bunker hubs where lead times can be more unpredictable.
Prompt LSMGO can be tight in the Galveston Offshore Lightering Area (GOLA). The earliest delivery dates with two suppliers are about 4-5 days ahead. One supplier expects LSMGO resupply this week, which should ease some pressure.
Port operations and bunkering resumed in Florida’s Port Tampa Bay last weekend, following Hurricane Ian that hit the port last Wednesday. Several suppliers have resumed offering deliveries for prompt dates and for dates further out in Port Tampa Bay. But bunker deliveries by truck have been difficult to find this week as some trucks have been deployed for disaster relief work after Hurricane Ian struck, sources say.
Supply remains tight across all fuel grades in US West Coast ports. Some suppliers in Long Beach and Los Angeles are fully booked for prompt dates. A lead time of at least 10 days is generally recommended to ensure timely deliveries.
VLSFO supply for prompt dates in San Francisco is tight. The earliest delivery date with a supplier is 6-8 days out, another can offer deliveries from 20 October.
Availability remains steady across all grades in Mexico’s Manzanillo. Recommended lead times for HSFO, VLSFO and LSMGO are about five days out.
Caribbean and Latin America
All grades are tight for prompt dates in Panama’s Cristobal. The earliest delivery dates with two suppliers are about 8-9 days for VLSFO and LSMGO. Several suppliers have insisted that deliveries should instead be made in Balboa, where prompt VLSFO and LSMGO grades are slightly easier to find, sources say.
VLSFO and LSMGO availability is tight for prompt dates off Trinidad. The earliest delivery date with two suppliers is about 6-7 days out. Another can offer LSMGO only.
Availability of VLSFO and LSMGO is normal in Colombia’s Santa Marta. The earliest delivery date with a supplier there is about three days out.
VLSFO supply is normal in Brazil’s Rio Grande. A supplier can offer deliveries for prompt dates, sources say.
Prompt VLSFO and LSMGO is tight at the Zona Comun anchorage in Argentina. Recommended lead times are about 7-8 days. Bunker operations were suspended on Wednesday at Zona Comun amid high winds. Calmer weather conditions could allow bunkering to resume on Thursday.
But wind speeds are set to pick up again with potential bunker disruptions from Friday evening through to Sunday.
Photo credit and source: ENGINE
Published: 7 October, 2022
Prompt delivery slots available amid more muted bunker demand in Fujairah, and weaker bunker demand weighs on VLSFO refinery margins in Singapore.
It is also encouraging to see some innovative pilot projects hitting the order books including cruise ships run on liquid hydrogen powered fuel cells, says DNV’s Martin Wold.
Firm, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CNOOC, successfully delivered 1,730 mt of low-sulphur bonded fuel oil to "YM Enlightenment" ship in Yantian Port.
‘US elections are not impacting operations in the far east, but for late-night enquiries perhaps the suppliers might quote with some more buffer,’ said trader.
Group’s 2019 outlook continues to look positive with completion of acquisitions and new business activities.
‘The vessel will return back to operations soon,’ shipowner and operator Star Formula tells Manifold Times.
Glander International Bunkering (Norway) AS seeking payment of USD 115,963.52 (not including contractual compensation and interests) from the vessel’s demise charterer, according to court documents.
“In TotalEnergies, we already have projects along the e-Fuel value chain, from green electricity and green / blue hydrogen to e-Fuel production that will be integrated along the marine fuels value chain in time to come,” shares Louise Tricoire.
Buyers can nominate deliveries on platform and plan operations together with suppliers following ‘one single truth’ concept with all players aware of what has been agreed when and by whom, says DNV spokesman.
Rotterdam’s intention to mandate the usage of MFMs goes down well with licensed bunker supplier VT Group; MFM providers supportive of move but stressed continuous monitoring is needed for optimum performance.
Cost of alternative bunker fuels, bunker operations and technology advancement are some considerations to be examined by the maritime industry, says Neo, director of SDE International Pte Ltd.
Kim Hyung Joon and Han Donghoon were planning to join the Singapore entities of Hartree Group - either Hartree Partners Singapore Pte Ltd or Hartree Marine Fuels - in October, discovered management.
