Business

ENGINE: Americas Bunker Fuel Availability Outlook

Panama’s HSFO priced at discount to Houston; suppliers in GOLA brace for upcoming bad weather; prompt supply still tight off Trinidad.

Published

2 years ago

October 21, 2022

Admin

Resized Americas Bunker Fuel Availability Outlook image for Manifold Times

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:

20 October 2022

Panama’s HSFO priced at discount to Houston
Suppliers in GOLA brace for upcoming bad weather
Prompt supply still tight off Trinidad

North America

Prompt VLSFO and LSMGO grades are readily available in the Houston area and off the US Gulf Coast. Both grades can be tight for very prompt dates (0-3 days) in New Orleans. The earliest delivery dates with a supplier in New Orleans are about four days out.

Several suppliers in the Galveston Offshore Lightering Area (GOLA) have held back offers for prompt delivery dates and for dates further out due to tight schedules and bad weather.

Bad weather is forecast from Friday evening through to next Wednesday and can potentially trigger suspensions or disruptions. Two suppliers can offer VLSFO and LSMGO deliveries in GOLA from next Tuesday onwards if the weather permits, while another supplier can offer deliveries from 28 October, sources say.

Securing stems for prompt dates in Long Beach and Los Angeles can be tricky. The earliest delivery dates with some suppliers stretch out to early November.

LSMGO availability is normal in Miami’s Port Everglades. A supplier can offer the grade with lead times of 3-4 days.

Prompt supply is tight in Canada’s Montreal. The earliest expected delivery dates are between 7-9 days.

Availability continues to be 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

VLSFO and LSMGO can be tight for very prompt dates in Panama’s Balboa and Cristobal. Lead times of 5-8 days are recommended for getting broad coverage from suppliers in Balboa.

Meanwhile, some suppliers in Cristobal can offer both grades on a subject to enquiry basis, while the earliest delivery dates with another two suppliers are about five days. Both ports have been pricing HSFO competitively to Houston in recent days.

Bunker availability is tight off Trinidad, where a supplier can offer the earliest delivery of VLSFO from 26 October onwards. Lead times are comparatively shorter for deliveries in Trinidad's ports.

Prompt VLSFO and LSMGO availability is tight in Argentina’s Zona Comun. A supplier can offer both grades with five days of lead times. Meanwhile, the earliest delivery dates in Bahai Blanca are about 5-6 days out.

Wind gusts of 20-33 knots are forecast in Zona Comun on Friday and Saturday and could trigger a bunker suspension or delays.

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.

By Nithin Chandran

Photo credit and source: ENGINE
Published: 21 October, 2022

LNG Bunkering

China: Ningbo Zhoushan Port completes first LNG bunkering operation for 2025

Bunkering vessel “Hai Yang Shi You 302” supplied more than 10,000 cubic metres of LNG bunker fuel to containership “MSC Adya” at the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port port on 5 January.

Published

3 days ago

January 10, 2025

Admin

China: Ningbo Zhoushan Port completes first LNG bunkering operation for 2025

Zhejiang Pilot Free Trade Zone Zhoushan Area on Wednesday (8 January) said Ningbo-Zhoushan Port successfully completed its first LNG bunkering operation for the year.

Bunkering vessel Hai Yang Shi You 302 supplied more than 10,000 cubic metres (m3) of LNG bunker fuel to containership MSC Adya at the port on 5 January.

Zhejiang Seaport International Trading, the bunker supplier for the operation, successfully obtained the Zhoushan Anchorage LNG bunkering licence in June 2024, extending refuelling services from dock to sea.

The company’s services cover Meishan, Chuanshan, Daxie and other port areas.

As China's first river-sea LNG transport and bunkering ship, Hai Yang Shi You is currently placed permanently at Ningbo Zhoushan Port, providing a variety of bunkering methods such as ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore.

Zhejiang Seaport International Trading will continue to expand the scope of bonded LNG bunkering operations and new alternative fuels such as green methanol, ammonia and biofuels in the Zhoushan Area.

Photo credit: Zhejiang Pilot Free Trade Zone Zhoushan Area
Published: 10 January, 2025

Business

Shandong Port Group bans US-sanctioned tankers from entering its ports

Group has prohibited ports to dock, unload or provide ship services to vessels on the Office of Foreign Control list managed by the US Department, according to a Reuters news report.

Published

3 days ago

January 10, 2025

Admin

Shandong Port Group bans US-sanctioned tankers from entering its ports

China’s Shandong Port Group has reportedly blocked tankers affected by US sanctions from entering its ports, according to an exclusive news report by Reuters on Wednesday (8 January).

Citing a notice from the port, which was issued on 6 January and shared to Reuters by traders, the Group has prohibited ports to dock, unload or provide ship services to vessels on the Office of Foreign Control list managed by the US Department.

In another notice released on 7 January, the ban came after sanctioned tanker Eliza II unloaded at Yantai Port in early January.

Shandong Port operates major ports on the east coast of China including Qingdao, Rizhao and Yantai, which are major terminals for importing sanctioned oil.

The traders said the ban could slow imports into China, the world’s largest oil importing nation, and increase shipping costs.

Photo credit: Shandong Port Group
Published: 10 January, 2025

Business

US DoD designates COSCO Shipping and CNOOC as ‘Chinese military companies’

COSCO Shipping has responded that the company and its subsidiaries ‘have consistently adhered to local laws and regulations, maintaining strict compliance in all international operations’.

Published

3 days ago

January 10, 2025

Admin

China: Cosco Shipping and bp to explore collaboration into methanol bunker fuel

The US Department of Defense (DoD) on Tuesday (7 January) has added China’s state-owned shipping company COSCO Shipping and two of its subsidiaries to its list of companies for allegedly having links to the Chinese military.

The subsidiaries are COSCO SHIPPING (North America) and COSCO SHIPPING Finance.

DoD released the update to the names of "Chinese military companies" operating directly or indirectly in the United States in accordance with the statutory requirement of Section 1260H of the National Defense Authorisation Act for Fiscal Year 2021. The Department said it will update the list with additional entities as appropriate.

Updating the Section 1260H list of "Chinese military companies" is an important continuing effort in highlighting and countering the People’s Republic of China's (PRC) Military-Civil Fusion strategy, DOD added.

The list also included other Chinese shipping-related companies such as shipbuilders China Shipbuilding Trading and China State Shipbuilding Corporation, oil company China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), CNOOC China and CNOOC International Trading.

Shipping container manufacturer China International Marine Containers (CIMC) was also included on the list of companies.

In a response to the move, COSCO Shipping said it has noted the recent inclusion of the company and its subsidiaries to the sanctions list.

“COSCO Shipping and its subsidiaries have consistently adhered to local laws and regulations, maintaining strict compliance in all international operations,” it said on its website.

“We remain committed to facilitating global trade and providing high-quality commercial shipping and logistics services to clients worldwide, including agricultural producers, manufacturers, energy firms, retailers, and exporters in the United States.”

“We emphasise that none of the aforementioned companies are ‘Chinese military companies’. We will engage with U.S. authorities to clarify this matter. This designation does not impose sanctions or export controls, and our global operations will continue uninterrupted.”

Photo credit: COSCO Shipping
Published: 10 January, 2025