Business

ENGINE: Americas Bunker Fuel Availability Outlook

Very prompt supply tight in Houston; still muted demand in New York; tight prompt in Rio Grande and Zona Comun.

Published

3 years ago

May 5, 2023

Admin

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:

4 May 2023

Very prompt supply tight in Houston
Still muted demand in New York
Tight prompt in Rio Grande and Zona Comun

North America

VLSFO and LSMGO grades are still in tight supply for very prompt delivery dates (0-2 days) in Houston. Demand has picked up and most suppliers have held back offers for very prompt dates amid busy delivery schedules. Suppliers are generally able to deliver stems with a lead time of 5-7 days in the Houston area.

The situation has been similar in Bolivar Roads and Beaumont. Most suppliers require at least five days of lead time to deliver VLSFO and LSMGO stems.

In the Galveston Offshore Lightering Area (GOLA), bunkering has been progressing normally amid calmer weather conditions in the past week. Product availability is normal, and suppliers are generally able to deliver stems for prompt dates.

However, strong wind gusts of up to 41 knots are forecast from Saturday onwards and could trigger a suspension.

Securing prompt VLSFO and LSMGO stems is possible at the New Orleans Outer Anchorage (NOLA). A few suppliers are able to deliver stems with a lead time of 4-5 days in the area.

Bunker demand has picked up for delivery dates further out in the West Coast port of Los Angeles and most suppliers are able to accommodate. Meanwhile, one supplier can deliver VLSFO and LSMGO stems in Long Beach with five days of lead time.

Demand has been low in Vancouver further up the North American west coast. Suppliers are able to deliver VLSFO with a lead time of 5-7 days.

Bunker fuel availability is normal in the East Coast port of New York. However, demand has been low in the region.

Caribbean and Latin America

Prompt availability of VLSFO and LSMGO is normal in Panama’s Balboa and Cristobal. Some suppliers are able to offer stems within 6-7 days of lead time. Securing HSFO stems in Balboa can be difficult. One supplier can deliver HSFO stems in the port with a lead time of at least eight days.

Prompt VLSFO and LSMGO supply has improved since last week off Trinidad and in the island’s ports. Few suppliers can accommodate stems for prompt dates.

VLSFO and LSMGO supply is good for very prompt dates in Brazil’s Salvador. A supplier is able to deliver stems within two days of lead time.

In Brazil’s Rio Grande, VLSFO and LSMGO supply is tight for prompt dates. However, a supplier can deliver stems after 9 May.

Availability of VLSFO and LSMGO is also tight for prompt dates at Argentina’s Zona Comun anchorage. Most suppliers are able to deliver stems after 10 May. However, bunker operations are likely to be disrupted at the anchorage on Friday evening due to strong wind gusts.

By Debarati Bhattacharjee

Photo credit and source: ENGINE
Published: 5 May, 2023

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.

Published

17 hours ago

July 21, 2026

Admin

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.

Photo credit: Sora Shimazaki
Published: 21 July, 2026

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.

Published

18 hours ago

July 21, 2026

Admin

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.

Photo credit: Drew Beamer
Published: 21 July, 2026

LNG Bunkering

PIL’s LNG dual-fuel boxship “Kota Elok” arrives in Singapore on maiden call

As the first of 13 new 13,000 TEU vessels joining its fleet, Kota Elok is equipped to operate on LNG and low-sulphur fuel oil that helps reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

Published

18 hours ago

July 21, 2026

Admin

PIL's LNG dual-fuel boxship “Kota Elok” arrives in Singapore on maiden call

Singapore-based Pacific International Lines Pte Ltd on Monday (20 July) said its first 13,000 TEU LNG dual-fuel container vessel, Kota Elok, recently made her maiden call to Singapore on 15 July.

As the first of 13 new 13,000 TEU vessels joining its fleet, Kota Elok is equipped to operate on liquefied natural gas (LNG) and low-sulphur fuel oil that helps reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

The vessel also incorporated energy-saving features and digital technologies to reduce fuel consumption and enhance operational performance, as well as a bow windshield to improve aerodynamics, contributing to improved fuel efficiency and lower emissions over the course of long-haul voyages.

“Following Singapore, Kota Elok will continue her voyage on our East Coast Service 1 (ES1) route to South America, calling at ports in Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina before returning to Asia,” the company said in a social media post.

Kota Elok also became PIL’s first vessel to receive Lloyd’s Register certification for compliance with the IACS UR E26 and UR E27 cyber security requirements.

Developed by the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS), UR E26 and UR E27 are mandatory cyber resilience requirements for newbuild vessels contracted from 1 July 2024.

Photo credit: Pacific International Lines
Published: 21 July, 2026