Connect with us

Business

ENGINE: East of Suez Bunker Fuel Availability Outlook

Lead times are shorter for VLSFO and LSMGO stems in Singapore, while VLSFO supply has tightened in China’s Shandong area this week, according to update.

Admin

Published

on

engine

The following article regarding regional bunker fuel availability outlooks for East of Suez ports with special attention to availability in Singapore has been provided by online marine fuels procurement platform ENGINE for publication on Singapore bunkering publication Manifold Times:

13 July, 2021

Lead times are shorter for VLSFO and LSMGO stems in Singapore, while VLSFO supply has tightened in China’s Shandong area this week.

Singapore’s fuel oil stocks dropped by 5% to 22.82 million bbls last week, which was their lowest levels since late March, data from Enterprise Singapore showed. 

Lead times for VLSFO stems are down on the week in the bunkering hub, dropping from up to nine days last week to 6-7 days now. LSMGO stems are also shorter by one day on the week, requiring 4-5 days ahead. 

Singapore’s bunker demand has recovered from the pandemic. The port supplied 3% more fuels in the first half of the 2021 compared to the first half of last year, when global shipping demand took a hit from lockdown measures and bunker sales slumped below 4 million mt/month in February, May and June. 

More than 4 million mt has been supplied in every month this year, and total sales are also 6% above 2019 levels. 

The biggest demand change from last year has been for HSFO, with sales up by 40% and its share of total sales in Singapore increasing from 21% to 26% in the first half of this year. HSFO demand has been boosted as another 213 vessels have had scrubbers in operation or on order this year than last year, bringing the total to 4,568, according to shipping classification society DNV.

Singapore’s supply capacity for the high sulphur grade remains under pressure, however, with only four suppliers offering it. Recommended lead times are still around 10 days for HSFO stems.

Zhoushan and Shanghai are well-supplied for another week, with fuel oil stems requiring 2-3 days ahead. Suppliers in the southern Chinese ports of Fangcheng and Qinzhou have replenished stocks and started offering VLSFO and LSMGO again, after having been out of the two products for two weeks. 

At the same time, a supplier has run out of VLSFO in the Chinese area of Shandong, including the ports of Qingdao, Rizhao, Lanshan and Yantai. The bunker supplier can still offer for HSFO380 and LSMGO as there is no shortage of these products.

Lead times remain shorter in Fujairah than in recent months, with stems of all grades requiring 3-4 days ahead. Longer lead times may be required for HSFO380 in the port to ensure timely delivery of the product. 

Japan’s total fuel oil stocks grew by 2% last week to 11.93 million bbls on 3 July, data from the Petroleum Association of Japan showed.

Bunker fuel availability continues to be good in Tokyo Bay for another week, as local ports remain well supplied with HSFO380, VLSFO and LSMGO grades. Longer lead times are recommended for HSFO380.

Japan imported its first HSFO cargo in six weeks last week, and production of the high sulphur grade grew by 22% on the week to 1.43 million bbls.

South Korea’s southern ports require 3-4 days for VLSFO stems now, one day shorter compared to last week. HSFO380 supply requires longer lead times of 6-8 days in the country’s southern ports and 10-15 days in its western ports, which include Incheon.

 

Photo credit: ENGINE
Published: 14 July, 2021

 

Continue Reading

Technology

Singapore: Ofiniti, ONE trial direct platform integration to streamline bunker workflows

Ofiniti started a trial in Singapore, integrating FuelBoss directly with a bunker buyer’s own platform, with Ocean Network Express as its first buyer-side integration partner.

Admin

Published

on

By

Singapore: Ofiniti, ONE trial direct platform integration to streamline bunker workflows

Ofiniti, the digital platform for maritime fuel operations, on Tuesday (21 July) said it has started a trial in Singapore, integrating FuelBoss directly with a bunker buyer’s own platform.

The company announced Singapore-headquartered container shipping firm Ocean Network Express (ONE) as its first buyer-side integration partner. 

“It is no coincidence we start in Singapore, as the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) remains at the forefront of digitalisation of all things bunkering,” the company said in a social media post.

In November 2023, MPA launched its digital bunkering platform, becoming the world’s first port to implement e-BDN. 

Ofiniti said every bunker delivery still runs on retyped data. 

“The buyer’s system says one thing, the supplier says another, and someone reconciles the gap by email, phone, or PDF. On every stem,” the company said. 

“We built FuelBoss to change this reality.”

With the integration, operational data now flows without manual re-entry, fewer reconciliation errors and faster processing and data, instead of documents, are readily available for procurement and claims workflows. 

“One connection will not transform the industry on its own, but digitalisation gets built one integration at a time. We are grateful to ONE for being willing to go first,” Ofiniti added.

Manifold Times previously reported ONE completing its successful trial of the electronic Bunker Delivery Note (e-BDN) with Shell. 

The e-BDN trial, using the digital bunkering solution developed by Angsana Technology, was conducted on 9 September 2023 at the Port of Singapore, with support from the MPA.

In March 2025, Ofiniti acquired Singapore-based Angsana Technology, with the entire Angsana team joining Ofiniti as part of the acquisition.

Related: MPA Chief Executive: Port of Singapore begins digital bunkering initiative today
Related: Singapore set to become first port in the world to debut electronic bunker delivery notes
Related: ONE completes e-BDN adoption trial with Shell in Port of Singapore
Related: Ofiniti acquires Singapore-based Angsana Technology to advance digital bunkering solutions

 

Photo credit: Ofiniti
Published: 22 July, 2026

Continue Reading

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.

Admin

Published

on

By

RESIZED Sora Shimazaki on Pexels

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.

Related: Singapore: Hin Leong Founder OK Lim gets jail term slashed to 13.5 years

 

Photo credit: Sora Shimazaki
Published: 21 July, 2026

Continue Reading

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.

Admin

Published

on

By

RESIZED Drew Beamer

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.

Related: Singapore: Director declares Heng Tong Fuels & Shipping’s inability to continue business
Related: Heng Tong Fuels & Shipping in court over DBS Bank bunker tanker loan
Related: Singapore: Bunker tanker “Coastal Neptune” arrested
Related: Heng Tong Fuels & Shipping, Coastal Logistics tankers enter S&P market

 

Photo credit: Drew Beamer
Published: 21 July, 2026

Continue Reading

Trending