Business

ENGINE: Americas Bunker Fuel Availability Outlook

Prompt supply remains tight in Houston; sluggish demand reported in Los Angeles; prompt VLSFO and LSMGO tight in Zona Comun.

Published

3 years ago

May 26, 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:

25 May, 2023

Prompt supply remains tight in Houston
Sluggish demand reported in Los Angeles
Prompt VLSFO and LSMGO tight in Zona Comun

North America

Prompt availability of LSMGO and VLSFO is tight in Houston. Most suppliers in Houston can supply fuel grades for delivery dates in the first and second week of June.

HSFO availability is also tight in Houston, partly due to fewer suppliers supplying the grade.

Securing prompt LSMGO and VLSFO stems in Bolivar Roads can be difficult, with few suppliers able to supply them for delivery dates in the second week of June.

In Beaumont, suppliers are able to deliver LSMGO and VLSFO stems with a shorter lead time of 3-5 days.

Bunkering has been running smoothly in the Galveston Offshore Lightering Area (GOLA) amid calmer weather conditions. Most suppliers are able to accommodate VLSFO and LSMGO stems with 5-6 days of lead time.

HSFO availability is said to be tight for prompt delivery dates in GOLA, with only one supplier able to supply stems for prompt dates. The supplier is also willing to offer discounted rates for these deliveries as it rushes to clear the remaining stock available in the barge before it heads for maintenance.

Overall bunker demand has slowed at the New Orleans Outer Anchorage (NOLA). VLSFO and LSMGO availability is said to be normal for prompt dates.

The West Coast ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles have been grappling with sluggish demand. VLSFO and LSMGO availability is holding better in both ports. One supplier can deliver stems with a lead time of 4-5 days in Los Angeles. While a longer lead time of 10-12 days is generally recommended in Long Beach.

Availability of LSMGO for prompt dates is normal in the East Coast port of New York. Suppliers can supply LSMGO stems within 2-3 days.

Caribbean and Latin America

LSMGO and VLSFO availability are normal for prompt dates in Panama’s Balboa and Cristobal. In Balboa, many buyers are looking to book bunkers for delivery dates stretching to July. Availability is said to be much tighter in Cristobal.

VLSFO and LSMGO availability is tight in Jamaica’s Kingston. Suppliers are able to deliver stems with a longer lead time of 15-16 days.

Bunker supplier VOOIL has recently started LSMGO and VLSFO supply at the Peruvian ports of Pisco, San Nicolas and Matarani.

Availability of VLSFO and LSMGO stems is getting tighter for prompt dates in Zona Comun. One supplier can deliver stems with a lead time of seven days. Two other suppliers can supply stems for delivery dates after 1 June.

High winds are forecast at Zona Comun between Friday and Saturday evening, which could trigger bunker suspension or delays.

Availability of VLSFO and LSMGO is normal for prompt dates in the Brazilian ports of Rio Grande and Santos. Demand for LSMGO has also been good at these ports as they have been pricing the grade at huge discounts of over $300/mt to Zona Comun.

By Debarati Bhattacharjee

Photo credit and source: ENGINE
Published: 26 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

19 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

19 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

19 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