Business

ENGINE: Americas Bunker Fuel Availability Outlook

HSFO supply tight in Los Angeles; prompt availability tight in Rio de Janeiro; bunker fuel supply improves in Zona Comun.

Published

3 years ago

August 25, 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:

HSFO supply tight in Los Angeles
Prompt availability tight in Rio de Janeiro
Bunker fuel supply improves in Zona Comun

North America

Demand for all grades has improved across major bunkering ports in the Americas. Houston has seen a jump in enquiries for all grades this week. Prompt VLSFO and LSMGO availability is normal in the port. Lead times of 3-4 days are recommended for both grades. One supplier is also able to offer HSFO stems for very prompt delivery dates (0-3 days).

Prompt supply of VLSFO and LSMGO is normal in Bolivar Roads. Several suppliers are able to deliver both grades with a lead time of 2-5 days.

Bunker operations have been running smoothly in the Galveston Offshore Lightering Area (GOLA) amid calm weather conditions. Most suppliers are able to deliver VLSFO and LSMGO stems within 4-5 days of lead time, while some can supply both grades with a shorter lead time.

Securing prompt VLSFO and LSMGO stems at the New Orleans Outer Anchorage (NOLA) is much easier now. Some suppliers can deliver the stems immediately. Some suppliers can deliver the stems immediately. However, demand has been slow in NOLA this week despite a steady supply of both grades.

LSMGO price in the West Coast port of Los Angeles has surged this week. Despite the high price, the grade’s demand has been better than normal. LSMGO can be secured with a lead time of 7-9 days, a source says. Securing HSFO in Los Angeles can be trickier for both prompt dates and dates further out.

All grades remain in normal supply for prompt delivery dates in the East Coast port of New York.

Caribbean and Latin America

Bunker demand in Panama’s Balboa and Cristobal has improved this week. Product availability is normal with several suppliers able to supply VLSFO and LSMGO with a lead time of 4-5 days. HSFO can be secured with a longer lead time of 7-10 days.

VLSFO and LSMGO availability is super tight off Trinidad. One supplier is running low on LSMGO stocks and can supply the grade only after the first week of September.

Bunker fuel availability is tight for prompt dates in Colombia’s Cartagena. A supplier is unable to offer stems for prompt dates.

In Argentina’s Zona Comun anchorage, some suppliers can supply prompt VLSFO and LSMGO stems amid the forecast of calmer weather conditions this week. One supplier can supply both fuel grades with a lead time of 4-5 days.

Prompt availability of all fuel grades remains tight in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro. A supplier requires at least seven days of lead time. Meanwhile, another supplier is able to offer small quantities of VLSFO stems with a lead time of 2-4 days.

By Debarati Bhattacharjee

Photo credit and source: ENGINE
Published: 25 August, 2023

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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

12 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

12 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

12 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