Bunker Fuel Availability

ENGINE: East of Suez Bunker Fuel Availability Outlook (24 Oct 2023)

VLSFO tight amid loading delays in Singapore; chemical tankers to boost biofuel blending ratios; biofuel demand yet to materialise in China.

Published

1 year ago

October 25, 2023

Admin

The following article regarding regional bunker fuel availability outlook for the East of Suez region has been provided by online marine fuels procurement platform ENGINE for publication on Singapore bunkering publication Manifold Times:

VLSFO tight amid loading delays in Singapore
Chemical tankers to boost biofuel blending ratios
Biofuel demand yet to materialise in China

Singapore

VLSFO availability has tightened in Singapore. Barge loading delays at fuel terminals have held back bunker deliveries and put pressure on schedules, a source says. Lead times of 9-11 days are now advised for good coverage from suppliers, up from 8-10 days last week.

A recent influx of fuel oil imports from Russia, the UAE and Malaysia has increased Singapore’s net import surplus to 5 million bbls this month, and boosted stocks some. But as with middle distillates, Singapore fuel oil inventories remain far below their five-year average position.

Singapore’s biofuel bunker suppliers have been restricted to delivering biofuel blends with more than 25% biofuel. The standard grade in the port has been B24 (24% biofuel) as suppliers want to leave a margin for error when they load their bunker tankers with blended biofuels.

Vitol is looking to shake up the B24 market by bringing chemical tankers into its fleet, which will allow it to supply biofuel bunker blends up to B100 (100%) in Singapore. It expects to take delivery of the first of these vessels in January, with more to follow later next year.

China and South Korea

Meanwhile, the B24 norm has spread to Hong Kong, where Banle Energy was first out of the blocks by delivering a B24 biofuel blend to a tanker in July. Chimbusco Pan Nation and Helmsman Supply followed suit by offering blends of up to B24 in Hong Kong a few weeks later.

Sinobunker in Guangzhou then sourced a cargo from Hong Kong to launch biofuel bunkering. And this followed hard on the heels of Zhejiang Seaport International Trading becoming the first supplier to offer biofuels in mainland China.

Biofuel bunker demand has since been tepid in China, according to sources. Suppliers are keen to lock in term contract volumes to do away with some of the uncertainty of bringing in cargoes. A liquid spot market has failed to materialise in Chinese ports just yet. But they could – like several other global ports for ocean-going ships – see an uptick in demand if vessels trading in and out of Europe from next year, when the EU’s Emission Trading System (EU ETS) starts getting phased in. The ETS will make it more expensive to burn carbon-heavy conventional marine fuels and more attractive to blend in some biofuel.

For now, however, China’s biofuel bunker market is nascent, and at least two weeks of lead time is needed to supply bio-blended stems in Guangzhou, a source says. Prices are not indicated, only given as firm offers.

Back to conventional bunker fuels, Zhoushan has seen improved weather conditions since operations were halted at the end of last week. 3-5 days of lead time is recommended for bunker stems, while some suppliers can offer smaller VLSFO quantities – typically below 500 mt – on prompter dates.

VLSFO is still particularly tight in South Korean ports, where as much as 9-14 days of lead time is advised.

Middle East

Around 4-5 days of lead time is advised for all grades in Fujairah. This is normal and there have not been any major supply disruptions of note, according to a source. Fujairah’s VLSFO grade has been priced at discounts to Singapore and Zhoushan for the most part of the past month.

VLSFO supply has run out in Oman’s Duqm, where a supplier is working on a resupply cargo and no definite earliest delivery date has been given.

By Erik Hoffmann

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

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Bunker Fuel Availability

Baltic Exchange: Bunker Report (5 December 2024)

Bunker report panellists include Island Oil Limited, Cockett Marine Oil Pte, Monjasa A/S and KPI OceanConnect.

Published

3 days ago

December 6, 2024

Admin

Baltic Exchange: Bunker Report (5 December 2024)

The following bunker report has been provided by freight market information provider Baltic Exchange for post on Singapore bunkering publication Manifold Times:

Note:

All values are in US$/metric ton, all-in (invoice price), delivered on board
Delivery in 7-10 days
ISO 8217:2010
IFO 380 3.5% Sulphur
IFO 380 0.5% Sulphur
DMA 0.1% Sulphur

Rotterdam – Waalhaven – Maasvlakte range
Houston – Houston Harbor
Singapore – Anchorage, under SBA Scheme
Fujairah – Offshore Anchorage Area

Submitted weekly at Close of Business UK time, on Tuesday & Thursdays

Panellists:
Island Oil Limited, Cockett Marine Oil Pte, Monjasa A/S, KPI OceanConnect

Photo credit and source: Baltic Exchange
Published: 6 December, 2024

Bunker Fuel Availability

ENGINE: Americas Bunker Fuel Availability Outlook (5 Dec 2024)

Low demand in Houston; bad weather disrupts bunkering in GOLA; Vibra halts VLSFO supply in Brazilian ports.

Published

4 days ago

December 6, 2024

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:

Low demand in Houston
Bad weather disrupts bunkering in GOLA
Vibra halts VLSFO supply in Brazilian ports

North America

VLSFO and LSMGO availability is normal in Houston. Lead times of five days are recommended for both grades in the port. Prompt HSFO availability is tight, with lead times of up to 7-8 days recommended for the grade, a trader said.

Demand has slowed down in Houston this week, a source said.

Bunkering has been suspended in the Galveston Offshore Lightering Area (GOLA) since Wednesday due to rough weather conditions. The area was experiencing strong gale-force wind gusts of up to 32 knots on Thursday morning, making barge deliveries difficult there. A window of calm weather from Thursday evening could enable bunker operations to resume in GOLA before conditions worsen again from Friday evening.

VLSFO and LSMGO availability is normal in New York. Lead times of 2-4 days are recommended for both grades. HSFO availability has tightened in New York. Most suppliers are unable to offer HSFO for both prompt dates and dates further out.

Securing both prompt and non-prompt stems for all fuel grades is tight at the New Orleans Outer Anchorage (NOLA). Some suppliers are unable to provide an exact date for when they will have the supply available.

Prompt availability is tight in the West Coast ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. More than seven days of lead times are generally recommended to secure VLSFO and LSMGO in both locations.

Availability of VLSFO and LSMGO is also tight in Vancouver, further up the West Coast of North America.

Caribbean and Latin America

Bunker demand has been good in Panamanian ports amid more daily transits through the Panama Canal. Availability has remained good for prompt dates in both Balboa and Cristobal.

Bunkering is expected to be suspended in the Bahamas’ Freeport from Friday onwards because of the rough weather. The area is forecast to experience strong wind gusts of up to 26 knots on Saturday, making bunkering difficult there.

Prompt VLSFO and LSMGO availability is tight in Jamaica’s Kingston. A supplier is not able to offer stems for delivery dates before the end of December, a source says.

Bunker operations were suspended in Zona Comun on Thursday after being suspended for a day due to bad weather conditions. However, bad weather conditions are forecast intermittently over the weekend and most of next week, which could trigger more suspensions.

Bunker fuel availability has remained normal in the Brazilian ports of Santos, Salvador and Paranaguá. Several suppliers are able to offer VLSFO and LSMGO stems with a lead time of 4-6 days.

In Rio de Janeiro, VLSFO can be secured within 5-7 days of lead time. There is no availability of LSMGO in the port at the moment.

Brazilian fuel supplier Vibra has halted VLSFO offering at Vila do Conde and Belém. The company said it faced several challenges since starting bunkering operations in the region and decided to end the project to focus on other opportunities.

By Debarati Bhattacharjee

Photo credit and source: ENGINE
Published: 6 December, 2024

Bunker Fuel Availability

ENGINE: Europe & Africa Bunker Fuel Availability Outlook (4 Dec 2024)

Supply improves in the ARA; HSFO tightness has eased in Las Palmas; prompt VLSFO supply is tight in Richards Bay.

Published

4 days ago

December 5, 2024

Admin

The following article regarding Europe and Africa bunker fuel availability has been provided by online marine fuel procurement platform ENGINE for post on Singapore bunkering publication Manifold Times:

Supply improves in the ARA
HSFO tightness has eased in Las Palmas
Prompt VLSFO supply is tight in Richards Bay

Northwestern Europe

Supply pressures have eased across all three grades in the ARA this week, a trader told ENGINE. Bunker availability is back to normal and lead times of 3-5 days are advised for all three grades.

The ARA’s independently held fuel oil stocks dipped by 3% in November compared to October, according to Insights Global data.

The region imported 333,000 b/d of fuel oil in November, up from 262,000 b/d imported in October, according to data from cargo tracker Vortexa. The ARA imported low-sulphur fuel oil (LSFO) and HSFO in a 31/69 ratio in November, compared to a 45/55 ratio in October.

Kuwait (14% of the total) emerged as the region’s biggest fuel oil import source last month. The UK, Iraq and France (11% each) ranked second, while Sweden (10%) ranked third. Other import sources include the US (9%).

The ARA hub’s independent gasoil inventories - which include diesel and heating oil - decreased by 2% last month. The region imported 405,000 b/d of gasoil in November, a slight decline from 411,000 b/d of gasoil imported in October, according to Vortexa data.

Prompt bunker availability remains good in Germany’s Hamburg port, a trader told ENGINE. Lead times remain consistent with suppliers able to offer all three grades within 3-5 days.

Mediterranean

Bunker demand has spiked in the port in Gibraltar, according to a source. HSFO and LSMGO supply remains tight for prompt delivery. One trader recommends 5-7 days of lead time for HSFO, while another trader recommends lead times of up to 11 days for the grade. Lead times for LSMGO remain unchanged from last week with traders recommending around 7 days for the grade. VLSFO availability is normal with lead times of 3-5 days advised.

Gibraltar was witnessing adverse weather on Wednesday, with wind gusts of 23 knots in the port area. Five vessels were waiting to receive bunkers in Gibraltar on Wednesday, up from two on Tuesday, a source said. Wind gusts of 22 knots are forecast on Saturday and may complicate deliveries there.

In the Canary Islands’ port of Las Palmas, HSFO supply tightness has eased slightly, but the grade remains tight for prompt supply. Lead times for the grade have come down from last week's 7-10 days to 5-7 days. LSMGO availability remains tight for very prompt delivery dates, with lead times of 5-7 days advised. VLSFO availability is normal, with lead times unchanged at 3-5 days from last week.

Rough weather may trigger bunkering delays in Las Palmas on Wednesday and Thursday, a source said.

All grades remain tight for prompt supply in the Spanish port of Barcelona, a source said. Lead times of 5-7 days are advised for all grades in the port.

Portugal’s Lisbon has good availability across all grades, a trader said.

Bunker demand remains muted in Mediterranean bunker hubs like Piraeus, Malta Offshore and Istanbul, a trader told ENGINE. Availability has tightened in these ports as the year-end approaches.

In Greece’s Piraeus port, availability has tightened across all three grades, a trader said. Lead times of 7-10 days are recommended for all three grades, a source said. Calm weather is forecast in Piraeus for the rest of this week, making it conducive to bunkering.

Off Malta, supply tightness has persisted since last week, a trader said. Lead times of around 7-10 days are advised for all grades, one trader said. Another trader said HSFO and VLSFO require around five days of lead time, while LSMGO is plentiful, with 2-5 days recommended. Bad weather may impact bunkering intermittently from Wednesday and will likely continue into next week, a source said.

Turkey’s Istanbul port is also experiencing tightness across all grades with traders advising lead times of around 7-10 days for full coverage from suppliers.

Africa

VLSFO availability is still tight for prompt delivery dates in South Africa’s Durban and Richards Bay, a trader said. Lead times of 7-10 days are advised by traders for full coverage.

Securing LSMGO stems for prompt deliveries remains a challenge in Durban. Lead times of 7-10 days are recommended for the grade. While demand for LSMGO in Durban remains muted, demand for VLSFO is higher in the port.

Prompt availability is good for all three grades in Mauritius’ Port Louis, a trader said.

Namibia's Walvis Bay has ample bunker supply, according to a source. Lead times of around five days are advised for all three grades. Bunker demand has been strong, particularly for VLSFO and LSMGO. HSFO demand has been relatively less there. Bad weather may trigger bunkering disruptions from Wednesday to Friday, a source said.

By Manjula Nair

Photo credit and source: ENGINE
Published: 5 December, 2024