The following article regarding regional bunker fuel availability outlook for the Americas has been provided by online marine fuels procurement platform ENGINE for publication on Singapore bunkering publication Manifold Times:
28 October, 2021
US Gulf Coast ports are well supplied amid a ramp-up in production, and availability has improved with incoming cargoes in Panama’s main ports.
Supply of all bunker fuel grades remains steady in the Houston area, with no major shortages.
US Gulf Coast residual fuel oil inventories grew considerably amid higher imports and production last week, the latest Energy Information Administration (EIA) data shows. The inventories had been declining into October, following hurricane disruptions and a whole week without any fuel oil produced in mid-September.
Gulf Coast refineries produced 65% more fuel oil than the week before. At 86,000 b/d, the region’s weekly fuel oil production surged to its highest level since April.
HSFO380 can be tight for prompt dates in the Galveston Offshore Lightering Area (GOLA) and at the New Orleans Outer Anchorage (NOLA). A supplier in NOLA is unable to accommodate near dates, while another supplier is.
Strong winds and high waves are forecast in GOLA until Saturday, and could delay deliveries.
The US West Coast remains heavily congested with container ships amid an influx of import containers to ports along the coast. Over 70 container ships have been anchored near the twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach in recent days. Waiting times for container ships arriving to unload cargo and to bunker can extend to two weeks.
Suppliers in Panama’s Cristobal have replenished stocks after running low earlier this month. Several low sulphur fuel oil cargoes have arrived in Cristobal and nearby storage terminals along Panama’s Caribbean coast from the US in the past week, according to vessel tracking.
Availability has been relatively better in Balboa, although also tightening with increased demand while Cristobal has been less of an option. Some suppliers can accommodate prompt stems in Balboa. Their earliest delivery dates range from 2-11 days out.
Zona Comun’s VLSFO price has dropped down to discounts to Paranagua and Rio Grande. All three locations can accommodate prompt VLSFO stems. Around four days of lead time is recommended for stems in Paranagua.
Photo credit: ENGINE
Published: 29 October, 2021
‘TOTAL’s LNG trades are expected to grow to 50 million tonnes per year by 2025, and Total is projected to have more than 20 LNG carriers at that time,’ states MD.
Financial market participants like hedge funds are expected to be the most active participants, while interest from physical market participants like bunker suppliers is less clear.
European banks stepping back from the bunker industry is a cause for concern, and conversations are now about when will more industry consolidation emerge, it said.
Total bunker sales at Panama Canal was 4,744,412 mt in 2020, compared to sales of 5,352,396 mt in 2019, reports Panama Maritime Authority.
TR 48:2015 will cease to apply by end November 2020; all in-service bunker cargo officers and bunker surveyors are required to attend SSA or IBIA refresher courses.
FMSI increasing production capacity through constructing a 40,000 square meter facility in Batam, Indonesia.
Firm hopes to leverage partnership in Greece as a springboard to expand into neighbouring and overseas markets including Europe and China, says Robin Van Elderen, Regional Head Bunkers, Europe, Sing Fuels.
Singapore can help less developed countries in SouthEast Asia through ‘piloting and scaling fuels and technology as well as a leading hub for green finance’, said DNV Group President and CEO Remi Eriksen.
Octamar™ Ultra HF, Octamar™ Complete, and Octamar™ F35C were found to have improved the fuel economy while reducing exhaust gas and other emissions of marine engines in a series of trials, states report.
Disposal of evidence has resulted in Singapore not being able to provide full details to the United Nationals Panel of Experts which sought information regarding the case, says Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
‘We are proud to be amongst the first to show the successful steps taken by Singapore’s bunkering ecosystem to remain forward thinking and relevant,’ Choong Sheen Mao, Director of EMF, tells Manifold Times.
‘With the launch of a common data infrastructure, Kenoil aims to continue achieving an end to end visibility and transparency on the bunker data supply chain,’ states Kenoil Managing Director.
