The following article regarding regional bunker fuel availability outlook for the East of Suez region has been provided by online marine fuels procurement platform ENGINE for publication on Singapore bunkering publication Manifold Times:

• VLSFO and HSFO availability tight in Singapore
• Availability good across all grades in Sri Lankan ports
• Bunker demand low in Fujairah

Singapore and Malaysia

VLSFO availability in Singapore remains tight, with standard lead times of 7-11 days. HSFO lead times are steady at 7-9 days, while LSMGO lead times have shortened to 5-7 days from 3-9 days last week.

According to Enterprise Singapore, residual fuel oil stocks in Singapore have averaged 7% lower this month compared to December, falling below 21 million bbls. This drop coincides with a 6% decline in net fuel oil imports in January. Fuel oil imports increased by 493,000 bbls, and exports surged by 793,000 bbls.

Middle distillate stocks in Singapore - which include gasoil - have averaged 13% lower so far this month.

At Malaysia’s Port Klang, VLSFO and LSMGO supplies are abundant, with prompt small-quantity deliveries readily available. HSFO supply, meanwhile, remains limited.

East Asia

In Zhoushan, lead times for VLSFO and LSMGO have increased from 3-5 days last week to 5-7 days now, while HSFO lead times remain steady at 5-7 days.

In northern China, Dalian and Qingdao ports maintain ample supplies of VLSFO and LSMGO, but Qingdao is experiencing limited HSFO availability. Tianjin faces tight supplies of both HSFO and VLSFO, while LSMGO availability remains stable.

In Shanghai, LSMGO is readily available, while supplies of VLSFO and HSFO are restricted. Fuzhou enjoys robust availability of both VLSFO and LSMGO, whereas Xiamen has strong VLSFO supply and limited LSMGO availability.

At Yangpu and Guangzhou, prompt deliveries of both VLSFO and LSMGO remain constrained.

The upcoming Chinese New Year holidays, from 28 January to 4 February, will result in reduced bunker activity at Chinese ports, as most suppliers will not accept new orders during this period. Stems should generally be booked by 24 January, ahead of the holiday, a source says.

In Hong Kong, lead times for all fuel grades remain steady at approximately seven days, unchanged from recent weeks. However, adverse weather conditions expected on Wednesday could disrupt bunker deliveries.

In Taiwan, VLSFO and LSMGO supplies remain stable at Hualien and Taichung ports, with lead times of about two days, unchanged from last week. In Keelung, a lead time of 2-3 days is recommended. At Kaohsiung, VLSFO lead times are around two days, but LSMGO deliveries remain difficult due to ongoing barge maintenance since late December.

Bunkering operations at several Taiwanese ports will be temporarily suspended during the Chinese New Year holidays from 28 January to 4 February. Keelung, Taichung and Suao ports will halt bunkering from 28-30 January, while Hualien port will be closed from 28-31 January. Bunkering at Kaohsiung port will continue as usual during the holidays, according to CPC Corporation.

Stems must generally be booked by 24 January ahead of the holiday period, a source reported.

All fuel grades remain readily available at South Korean ports, with several suppliers advising lead times of 3-6 days. However, intermittent rough weather expected over the weekend could disrupt bunkering operations at Ulsan, Onsan, Busan, Daesan, Taean and Yeosu.

In Japan, VLSFO is readily available at major ports, including Tokyo, Chiba, Yokohama, Kawasaki, Osaka, Kobe, Sakai, Nagoya and Yokkaichi, though prompt supply remains limited in Mizushima. LSMGO supplies are stable overall, but prompt deliveries are challenging to secure at Tokyo, Chiba, Yokohama, Kawasaki, Osaka, Kobe, Sakai, Nagoya, Yokkaichi and Mizushima.

HSFO availability is tight across all ports, while in Oita, all fuel grades are subject to availability.

Subic Bay in the Philippines may face intermittent inclement weather throughout the week, which could disrupt bunkering operations. Similarly, adverse weather is expected to impact bunkering in Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City on 24-25 January, and in Hai Phong on 26 January.

Oceania

In Western Australia, Kwinana, Fremantle and Kembla ports have plentiful VLSFO and LSMGO supplies, with standard lead times of 7-8 days. In New South Wales, Sydney offers normal LSMGO availability, although HSFO may require extended lead times.

Suppliers in Australia's Victoria, Melbourne and Geelong maintain abundant VLSFO and LSMGO stocks, but prompt HSFO deliveries remain difficult to secure. In Queensland, Brisbane and Gladstone have adequate VLSFO and LSMGO supplies, also with lead times of 7-8 days, but HSFO availability in Brisbane is constrained.

In New Zealand, Tauranga and Auckland hold sufficient VLSFO stocks, with Auckland also offering ample LSMGO availability. However, rough weather forecast for Tauranga on Wednesday could disrupt bunker operations.

South Asia

VLSFO and LSMGO availability remains limited at several Indian ports, including Kandla, Mumbai, Tuticorin, Chennai and Cochin, consistent with recent weeks. Both grades are subject to availability at Visakhapatnam, while a supplier in Paradip and Haldia is nearly out of stock. Adverse weather conditions at Kandla and Sikka ports may disrupt bunker operations between 24-25 January.

In Sri Lanka, Colombo port recommends lead times of approximately six days for all grades, consistent with last week. At Hambantota, lead times for all grades have increased from about two days last week to around six days now.

Middle East

In Fujairah, prompt availability remains tight despite weak demand, with lead times for all grades holding steady at 5-7 days, unchanged from last week. Similarly, suppliers in Khor Fakkan are recommending lead times of 5-7 days for all grades.

In contrast, Jeddah port in Saudi Arabia has adequate supplies of both VLSFO and LSMGO. While VLSFO supply in Djibouti is under pressure, LSMGO is more readily available.

Omani ports, including Sohar, Salalah, Muscat and Duqm, have ample LSMGO supplies and prompt deliveries available.

By Tuhin Roy

Photo credit and source: ENGINE
Published: 22 January, 2025 

Once a week, bunker intelligence platform ENGINE will publish a snapshot of LNG bunker prices in the world’s two biggest bunkering hubs. The following is the latest snapshot:

20 January 2025

Rotterdam's LNG bunker price has declined amid lower bunker premiums, while Singapore's price has dropped alongside weak demand in the broader Asian LNG market.

Changes in weekly LNG bunker prices:

• Rotterdam down by $11/mt to $852/mt
  Singapore down by $24/mt to $846/mt

Rotterdam

Rotterdam's LNG bunker price has dropped by $11/mt over the past week, reaching $852/mt. This decrease was mainly driven by a decline in LNG bunker premiums, which fell from approximately $145/mt to $113/mt.

However, this decrease contrasts with a rise in the front-month Dutch TTF Natural Gas contract, a key European gas market benchmark, which increased by $0.41/MMBtu ($21/mt) to $14.22/MMBtu ($739/mt) during the same period.

Singapore

Singapore's LNG bunker price has fallen by a steep $24/mt over the past week, reflecting weak LNG demand in northeast Asia. Its LNG bunker price premium of $7/mt over Rotterdam has reversed to a $6/mt discount within a week.

According to Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), LNG inventories for power generation reached 2.11 million mt, an increase of 240,000 mt from the previous week.

“Import demand among the big buyers has been weak, and some, like China, have been reselling their cargoes in the spot market,” said Emma Richards, associate director of oil and gas at research firm BMI.

Regional LNG bunker prices are generally linked to NYMEX Japan/Korea Marker (JKM) values. During the same period, the front-month JKM contract declined by $0.38/MMBtu to $13.78/MMBtu.

“JKM prices have actually softened a little in the year to date. The weather’s been relatively mild and stockpiles are healthy,” Richards added.

Singapore’s LNG bunker sales made massive gains last year, clocking in 464,000 mt sold. That was more than quadruple the 111,000 mt sold in 2023, which in turn was six times the 16,000 mt sold in 2022, when gas prices surged on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

By Tuhin Roy

Photo credit and source: ENGINE
Published: 21 January, 2025

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:

• Prompt availability good in New York
• Rough weather in Houston causes delays
• High wind gusts hit bunkering in Zona Comun

North America

Bunker fuel availability in Houston remains tight across all grades. High winds over the last few days have created some backlogs by delaying bunker deliveries in the port. The situation is expected to remain the like this until 21 January.

An "Arctic Front will impact Houston area starting Saturday morning with high winds / cold temps [temperatures] and possible freeze," a source says. The pumping rates on barges are likely to be much lower than normal due to cold temperatures, the source adds.

There are enough supply volumes to go around in the port. That is not really the issue, a source says, the issue is more to get into suppliers' delivery schedules and for stems to be delivered without weather delays.

Bunker operations in the Galveston Offshore Lightering Area (GOLA) could be disrupted by high wind gusts on and off until 20 January, with deliveries happening on a case-by-case basis. Operations are expected to resume fully between 16-18 January and then be suspended on 19 January, a source says.

On the East Coast, availability for VLSFO and LSMGO is good in New York, but bunker operations may face disruptions this week due to high wind gusts, causing potential delays in deliveries, a source said. Tugs are kept on standby for urgent requirements.

Last week, shipping company A.P. Moller-Maersk had issued an advisory to its customers stating that the conditional agreement on US wages is set to expire on 15 January, possibly leading to a coast-wide strike on 16 January, if no agreement was reached by that date.

To clarify, bunker suppliers across US East Coast and Gulf Coast ports have not reported any disruptions from a workers' strike, and deliveries are underway, according to multiple sources.

Prompt bunker availability has improved in Los Angeles and Long Beach in January, with suppliers advising lead times of less than seven days for all fuel grades.

Caribbean and Latin America

Suppliers have seen strong demand in the Panamanian ports of Balboa and Cristobal, amid tight availability across most fuel grades. Suppliers require lead times of more than seven days to secure stems.

Suppliers in the Colombian ports of Santa Marta, Barranquilla and Cartagena have seen good demand, and tighter availability. January is the month with the highest demand, a source says.

Bunker operations at Argentina’s Zona Común anchorage may face some disruptions due to bad weather conditions and strong wind gusts between 17-19 January. Prompt VLSFO availability is tight at the anchorage, with lead times of at least seven days advised, a source said.

In Bahía Blanca, supply capacity has been reduced because of low barge availability since December. Bahía Blanca is a major wheat export hub.

Meanwhile, Brazilian ports reported strong demand in January, with ample availability across most fuel grades.

By Aparupa Mazumder

Photo credit and source: ENGINE
Published: 17 January, 2025