The following article regarding regional bunker fuel availability outlook for the Americas has been provided by online marine fuels procurement platform ENGINE for publication on Singapore bunkering publication Manifold Times:
6 January, 2022
Several suppliers have tight bunker availability for prompt dates across key US ports like New York, Los Angeles and bunker locations around the Houston area.
US fuel oil inventories fell to all-time lows towards the end of last year. End-of-year destocking combined with strong pre-holiday bunker demand to draw stocks and tighten supply bunker hubs.
East Coast inventories slumped to record lows, according to figures from the Energy Information Administration (EIA). This has been reflected in New York’s bunker market, where fuel oils tightened in the second half of December, especially HSFO380.
But East Coast and Gulf Coast inventories regained some weight in the final week of 2021 amid a sharp drop in volumes supplied to bulk terminals, blenders and refineries.
Some suppliers are running low on LSMGO in the Houston area, leading to potential split ups of combined fuel oil-gasoil stems. Prompt delivery slots of VLSFO and HSFO380 are also tight.
Supply came under strain in Panama towards the end of December, but has now shown signs of easing and Balboa’s VLSFO price come down against Houston’s to hear parity.
South American locations have also seen supply squeezed.
Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro, Paranagua and Rio Grande have limited VLSFO availability towards the middle of the month. Large VLSFO stems have been unavailable in Rio Grande.
Certain suppliers in Montevideo expect VLSFO to remain tight through January and into February.
Photo credit: ENGINE
Published: 7 January, 2022
The company is targeting opportunities in bunkering, exports and blending for its 125,000 m3 oil storage facility.
Bunkers sold totalled 15.78 million mt from Jan to Apr, 7.9% down compared to 17.14 million mt in 2018.
To ensure that global trade continues, ICS will hold a conference with national associations from around the world to identify ‘swift and effective solutions’.
Nauticor’s Kairos successfully supplied next generation offshore installation vessel Orion, the fifth dual fuel vessel in DEME’s fleet, with LNG.
Montreal Express will undergo a test run to gain experience and information on the properties of biofuel in real-world use.
Recommends, amongst others, a steeper incremental increase of the FuelEU Maritime GHG reduction targets beyond 2030, accelerating faster than currently proposed.
Webinar will offer delegates insights on the prevention of operational issues when using VLSFOs, along with an update on biofuels and bunker fuel quality trends for 2021 and its forecast for the current year.
Heating VLSFOs to prevent cold flow issues causes issues related to distillate ageing, and there is a gentle balance to be maintained when handling the product.
Research into n-paraffin distribution of VLSFOs has shown that they not only differ from MGO, but significantly differ from each other as well, states bulletin.
Bunker Holding and Dan-Bunkering have decided not to appeal the city court ruling in the case where the companies were on trial for breaching EU sanctions against Syria, states USTC.
Poll shows market participants think Singapore’s future as a bunkering hub in the near term will be impacted most by growth in alternative bunker fuels and intensifying competition from other ports in Asia.
‘We will now take the necessary time to consider and evaluate the verdict and the premises of the verdict thoroughly before making any decision of whether to appeal to a higher court,’ informs company.
