Business

ENGINE: Americas Bunker Fuel Availability Outlook

Availabilities vary between Houston area suppliers; tight prompt availability in LA/LB; Tropical Storm Bret to strike Caribbean islands.

Published

3 years ago

June 23, 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:

22 June, 2023

Availabilities vary between Houston area suppliers
Tight prompt availability in LA/LB
Tropical Storm Bret to strike Caribbean islands

North America

Bunker prices for all fuel grades in ports across major ports in the US have risen with Brent over the past week. Demand has dropped slightly, with many bunker buyers appearing to wait for Brent to stabilise before fixing stems, a source says.

Prompt VLSFO and LSMGO availability is tight with some suppliers in Houston. One supplier can offer the two grades with around two days of lead time in the Houston area. Some other suppliers require a longer lead time of seven days. Price offers can vary greatly between suppliers.

HSFO remains tighter in Houston, partly due to fewer suppliers offering the grade.

Securing LSMGO and VLSFO stems in Bolivar Roads can be possible for prompt dates. One supplier can offer VLSFO and LSMGO for prompt dates if the weather permits, while another supplier can offer prompt deliveries on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Suppliers in the Galveston Offshore Lightering Area (GOLA) can accommodate prompt stems within 4-5 days of lead time amid conducive weather conditions this week.

VLSFO and LSMGO availability is said to be normal at the New Orleans Outer Anchorage (NOLA). Most suppliers can offer stems with a recommended lead time of five days.

Securing stems for prompt dates in the West Coast ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles can be tricky. Recommended lead times have gone up from last week’s 5-6 days to 7-8 days now. HSFO in Los Angeles will require a longer lead time of at least 10-11 days, with just two suppliers offering it.

VLSFO and LSMGO availability is normal in San Francisco. One supplier requires six days of lead time.

Fixing stems in Vancouver further up the North American west coast is easier. A supplier can deliver LSMGO and VLSFO stems with a lead time of 2-4 days.

Availability is normal in the East Coast port of New York. Recommended lead times are about 6-7 days. However, some suppliers can deliver stems on very prompt dates.

LSMGO availability is tight for prompt dates in Baltimore. Most suppliers are able to offer stems for dates further out in July.

Caribbean and Latin America

Tropical Storm Bret has moved closer to the southern Caribbean region and is forecast to lash Trinidad and other islands there with strong winds, heavy rains and storm surges. Ports and vessels in the area have been warned that Bret could strike as in the early hours of Thursday local time.

The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) has also issued an alert for Barbados, Dominica, Martinique and St. Lucia, but has clarified that Tropical Storm Bret may not strengthen to a hurricane.

However, some suppliers off Trinidad continues to offer LSMGO and VLSFO stems for very prompt (0-3 days) days.

Demand has been muted in Jamaica’s Kingston. Availability is good for prompt dates with most suppliers.

VLSFO and LSMGO availability is normal in Panama’s Balboa, where several suppliers are able to supply the fuel grades with a lead time of 4-5 days, down from last week’s 6-8 days. HSFO remains tighter in the port and availability of the grade is now subject to enquiry, a source says.

The Brazilian port of Belem has seen an uptick of VLSFO and LSMGO demand in the past week. Availability is good in the port with a lead time of 2-3 days.

Prompt availability of VLSFO and LSMGO remains normal in Brazilian ports of Rio de Janeiro and Rio Grande. Some suppliers can deliver stems with just two days of lead time.

Prompt deliveries of VLSFO and LSMGO are possible at Argentina’s Zona Comun anchorage, with recommended lead times of 5-7 days. Bunker demand has been low in the past week. With calmer weather, suppliers have delivered stems as scheduled.

By Debarati Bhattacharjee

Photo credit and source: ENGINE
Published: 23 June, 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

20 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

20 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

20 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