Marine fuel supplier Vitol Bunkers on Friday (16 May) said it has started supplying bunkers by barge to the West Africa (WAF) region.

The company said it has started with initial deliveries of Very Low Sulphur Fuel (VLSFO) and Marine Gasoil (MGO) and plans to expand its offering to the full spectrum of marine fuels.

“Bunkering by barge offers flexibility of location, taking place wherever there is a need, including Dakar and offshore Lomé,” it said in a statement. 

The latest expansion means that Vitol Bunkers now serves customers in locations across Asia, Australia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East and North America.

Ammar Hussaini, Vitol Bunkers, said: “Supplying bunkers by barge to the WAF market allows us to support our customers flexibly in the location and with the fuels that they need.”

Related: Vitol and Grindrod announces winding down of bunkering firm Cockett
Related: Vitol to offer new FuelEU compliant co-processed VLSFO bunker fuel

Photo credit: Vitol
Published: 19 May, 2025

Dubai-based energy trading and bunker supply firm Tigonic on Thursday (15 May) said it has launched its physical bunker supply operations at Khorfakkan, UAE by barge and has completed its first successful deliveries of bunker fuel in the past few days.

The company said the move enhances Tigonic’s regional supply capabilities with barge-based delivery of Very Low Sulfur Fuel Oil (VLSFO) and Marine Gas Oil (MGO) along the vital East Coast of the UAE.

 Tigonic also supplies bunker fuel at the port of Sharjah in UAE by trucks and may expand into other ports in the region in the foreseeable future.

Tigonic’s operational expansion into physical supply with its dedicated bunker barge enables the company to deliver marine fuels directly at anchorage. 

“This launch marks a significant milestone in our service evolution,” said the team at Tigonic.

“With physical supply now live at Khorfakkan, we are elevating our ability to provide fast, flexible, and reliable marine fuel solutions to the global fleet.”

This expansion follows Tigonic’s recent achievement—the successful lifting of multiple cargoes of High-Sulfur Fuel Oil (HSFO) from the SASREF refinery in Jubail, Saudi Arabia, and fuel oil of Bahrain origin for their customers in the Singapore Straits.

Photo credit: Tigonic
Published: 16 May, 2025

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 Houston and Balboa
• Los Angeles import volumes set to recover
• Panama Canal drought threat persists

North America

Bunker demand in Houston has been slow at the start of May. VLSFO and LSMGO are available for prompt delivery with recommended lead times of 5-7 days.

HSFO availability is currently tight in the port and requires lead times of at least a week.

Bunker operations were suspended in the Galveston Offshore Lightering Area (GOLA) on Wednesday, with deliveries being conducted on a first come, first serve basis.

“Delays are expected until tomorrow. Supply ships will deliver when conditions allow, but deliveries stop if seas rise above 5 feet,” a source about GOLA.

In New York, fuel availability across all grades remains okay. Suppliers recommend lead times of 3-5 days, down from last week’s 5-7 days. Possible disruptions from high winds are expected in the port between 17-19 May, which can delay bunker barge operations.

Bunker One has introduced three additional fuel grades in New York: B30-HSFO and B30-LSMGO biofuel blends and pure HSFO. The B30 blends contain 30% fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) or hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) biofuels blended with HSFO or LSMGO. The fuels will be sold on ISO 8217:2017 specifications and are ISCC EU-certified.

On the West Coast, fuel availability remains good, with suppliers recommending lead times of less than a week.

Incoming shipping traffic has picked up slightly, but it can vary from day to day, a source said.

“Following the pause, there was a slight pickup in East Coast volumes, but the West Coast hasn’t been the busiest, but safe to say remains steady,” a trader noted.

The Port of Los Angeles, which has experienced a slump in incoming container shipments over the past month, is expected to recover following the 90-day tariff pause between the US and China.

According to Port Optimizer, import volumes in Los Angeles are projected to rise to 103,000 TEUs next week, up from 85,000 TEUs this week, with 22 vessels scheduled to call. This would make a 22% increase week-on-week, and a 57% bump compared to the same period last year.

Peter Sand, chief analyst at Xeneta, said, “The new tariffs will affect around $18 billion in annual imports, …but if China responds in the same way as 2018 then we could be at the start of another spiral of escalating tariffs. That will mean yet more pain for shippers and ocean freight service providers to deal with.”

Montreal is bracing for possible disruptions from high wind gusts between 17-19 May. There is already a bunker backlog in the port and barge operations are limited to daylight hours. 

Caribbean and Latin America

In Panama, availability of VLSFO and LSMGO is good and recommended lead times are around 5–6 days. HSFO is tight in Balboa and requires a longer lead time.

“Demand in the market overall remains quiet and priority is given to vessels with confirmed transit schedules through the Panama Canal,” a source said.

Panama’s bunker fuel sales fell to seven-month lows in April, with total sales dropping to 459,000 mt – down 40,000 mt from March. VLSFO and HSFO sales declined by 11% and 2%, respectively, while LSMGO sales rose by a minimal amount.

Xeneta’s Peter Sand highlighted major events affecting the container shipping market, including the conflict in the Red Sea and drought conditions in the Panama Canal.

In 2023, the Panama Canal experienced its worst drought in over a century, driven by a combination of a strong El Niño effect and climate change. Officials warn that without long-term solutions like the planned Rio Indio reservoir, the canal remains vulnerable to future droughts and climate pressures.

Freeport in the Bahamas is experiencing stable weather. Deliveries at the anchorage continue with cruise ships being given priority.

St. Eustatius and Trinidad are also operating under normal conditions, with no major weather disruptions, and bunker deliveries are proceeding as usual.

In Zona Comun, high wind gusts are expected over the weekend, which may trigger a bunker delivery suspension if winds exceed 20 knots. VLSFO remains tight availability at the anchorage, with recommended lead times of 12–14 days.

Low reservoir levels in Brazil and Argentina, along with weak river inflows, are keeping conditions dry in the Paraguay river, whose water levels are lower than usual for this time of year.

“Rainfall has been intense in spots but highly erratic – no sub-basin has seen a stable or normal pattern,” Antares Ship Agents noted. This is affecting all upriver ports along the Paraná River, including San Lorenzo, Rosario, Arroyo Seco, Villa Constitución, San Nicolás, Ramallo and San Pedro.

“Bunkering isn’t affected for now, since it takes place in Zona Común, which is in the tidal area where the draft is stable and things are quiet now,” a local supplier said.

By Gautamee Hazarika

Photo credit and source: ENGINE
Published: 16 May 2025