Business

ENGINE: East of Suez Bunker Fuel Availability Outlook

There should be enough supply in Singapore for eastbound vessels delayed by the Suez Canal blockage, but there is no noticeable increase so far, sources said.

Published

5 years ago

March 31, 2021

Admin

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:

30 March 2021

Prompt supply remains tight in several key East of Suez bunker ports this week.

While Fujairah’s bunker market has mostly recovered from production issues two weeks ago, supply is now tighter as blending components have been held up in delayed tankers at the Suez Canal.

The cargo delay has reduced several of Fujairah’s suppliers’ ability to blend bunker fuel products. A bunker supplier has been without blendstocks and unable to quote prices for near-term deliveries. Another supplier was only able to load just over half the volume it had intended on a bunker barge because of the delays.

Two local refiners produce bunker fuels for supply in the port of Fujairah, where a total of 622,000 mt of bunker fuels was delivered in February. These two refiners also rely on imported blendstocks, but to a lesser extent than bunker suppliers without local production.

One of the refineries experienced significant production issues earlier this month, which crimped VLSFO availability and boosted Fujairah’s prices against other ports. Bunker fuel output from the refinery has now mostly recovered, according to local sources.

Availability of VLSFO has improved to bring Fujairah’s lead times down from 11 days two weeks ago, to around six days now. LSMGO stems also need to be booked around six days ahead to ensure delivery, while HSFO380 stems are particularly tight and require around 12 days of lead time in the UAE port.

Residual fuel oil inventory levels remain below the five-year average in Singapore. A considerable increase in exports from January and February has contributed to drawing the port’s stocks this month. Suppliers in the bunkering hub had built stocks in the first three weeks of March, before a doubling in exports last week pulled the inventories down 2% to 22.31 million bbls, Enterprise Singapore data shows.

Singapore’s middle distillate stocks dropped by another 1% last week, to 13.81 million bbls – their lowest levels since July last year.

Prompt deliveries of VLSFO are tight in Singapore, where lead times of around 7-8 days are recommended. Lead times are slightly shorter than last week’s 7-10 days, however, as some suppliers have better availability. LSMGO stems need to be booked about one day earlier than last week, with lead times now at 5-7 days.

Supply logistics can be a bottleneck in Singapore, with barge tank space can be particularly limited for HSFO380. This has kept lead times for the high sulphur product at 12 days or more for months.

There should be sufficient product stored in Singapore to meet a potential uptick in demand from eastbound vessels delayed by the Suez Canal blockage, but there has not yet been any noticeable increase in enquiries from these vessels, sources say. Demand has been rather muted in both Singapore and Chinese ports at the start of the week, following lower flat prices and stronger demand last week.

VLSFO and LSMGO can generally be procured at a shorter notice in Zhoushan and Shanghai, where the two grades are in ample supply among several suppliers and require around three days of lead times. Lead times for HSFO380 stems vary depending on the supplier, ranging from seven days to 11 days ahead.

Tokyo Bay remains congested with pressure on barge schedules this week. A supplier’s berth has undergone maintenance this month, limiting the port’s space for vessels to bunker in. Availability is expected to improve after the maintenance is scheduled to end in April.

VLSFO and LSMGO have become considerably tighter in South Korea’s southern ports, which include Busan. Lead times have increased from 3-5 days last week to eight days now. Availability of HSFO380 stems depend on barge availability for specific days, as only 1-2 suppliers offer the grade in South Korean ports.

Ongoing maintenance work at two local refineries has crimped resupply volumes to Far East Russian ports. Only one supplier has LSMGO available and limited volumes have pushed Russian prices for the grade up and above those in competing South Korean ports.

VLSFO, which is normally priced significantly lower in Far East Russian ports than in South Korea, has also moved within a closer price range of South Korea’s southern ports. HSFO380 is still priced lower in Russia, but limited resupply has narrowed discounts to South Korean ports.

Photo credit: ENGINE
Published: 31 March, 2021

Methanol

China launches methanol shipping supply chain alliance to accelerate green transition

Marine fuel suppliers in the alliance include Sinopec Fuel Oil Sales, China Marine Bunker (PetroChina), SIPG Energy (Shanghai), and Shenzhen Port Energy Development.

Published

2 days ago

July 17, 2026

Admin

China Waterborne Transport Research Institute under the Ministry of Transport and China Transport News recently jointly launched a Methanol Fuel Shipping Supply Chain Innovation Alliance with 20 organisations spanning the shipping, port, energy, equipment, research and industry association sectors.

The alliance was officially announced during the main event of China Maritime Day 2026 on 11 July, where members also released a joint initiative to develop a collaborative methanol-fuelled shipping supply chain.

The alliance aims to implement China’s national strategy for green economic transformation and support the Ministry of Transport’s “One Network, Four Modernisations” initiative by building a safe, efficient, economical and reliable methanol marine fuel supply chain

Under the joint initiative, alliance members pledged to align with China’s national decarbonisation strategy by promoting methanol as a key pathway for the shipping sector’s green transition and optimising the industry’s energy mix.

The members also pledged to strengthen collaboration across the supply chain to improve coordination between bunker fuel production, transportation and end users while advancing technological innovation.

Lastly, the alliance will support the development of policies, planning and technical standards, promote resource sharing and joint research, and accelerate the large-scale adoption of methanol as a marine fuel.

The alliance brings together companies and organisations representing the entire methanol shipping supply chain.

Members include shipping and port members such as China Changjiang National Shipping (Group) Corporation, COSCO Shipping Bulk Co., Ltd., Shandong Port Group, and Wuhan Chuangxin Jianghai Shipping Co., Ltd.

Energy companies in the alliance include Sinopec Chemical Commercial Holding Company Limited and Methanex Corporation.

Marine fuel suppliers including Sinopec Fuel Oil Sales, China Marine Bunker (PetroChina), SIPG Energy (Shanghai) Co Ltd and Shenzhen Port Energy Development Co Ltd are also part of the alliance.

Equipment manufacturers in the alliance are CSSC 711th Research Institute, CSSC Power (Group) Corporation Ltd and Chongqing Hongjiang Machinery Co Ltd.

Research, media and industry organisations participating in the alliance include the China Waterborne Transport Research Institute, China Transport News, and the Methanol Institute.

The Methanol Institute said methanol is moving beyond individual projects towards coordinated action across the entire value chain.

“And China continues to play a leading role in advancing methanol as a marine fuel,” it said in a social media post.

“We’re proud to work alongside our fellow alliance members to help strengthen the methanol supply chain and support the continued growth of methanol as a marine fuel.”

Photo credit: David Yu from Pixabay
Published: 17 July, 2026

Alternative Fuels

KR, HD Hyundai tap first ammonia dual-fuel sea trial to develop vessel operating standards

Trial generated data on the vessel’s fuel supply system and engine, which will provide a technical foundation for KR’s future development of domestic guidelines for ammonia-fuelled ships.

Published

2 days ago

July 17, 2026

Admin

KR, HD Hyundai tap first ammonia dual-fuel sea trial to develop vessel operating standards

Korean Register (KR) on Tuesday (14 July) said it is collaborating with HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) to establish a domestic operating environment for ammonia-fuelled vessels under the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries’ Green Shipping Corridor Construction Support Project.

The initiative supports the development of ammonia as one of the most promising next-generation marine fuels.

HHI recently conducted a sea trial of Korea’s first ammonia dual-fuel propulsion vessel. The trial generated operational data on the vessel’s fuel supply system and engine, which will provide a valuable technical foundation for KR’s future development of domestic guidelines for environmentally friendly vessel operations and supporting wider maritime decarbonisation efforts.

A spokesperson for HD Hyundai, said: “Drawing on our group’s R&D capabilities and on-site technical expertise, we have made meaningful progress in advancing the application of ammonia as a marine fuel. We expect this to help enhance a sustainable maritime ecosystem while strengthening the competitiveness of Korea’s shipbuilding industry.”

Kim Daeheon, Executive Vice President of KR’s R&D Division, added: “The close collaboration between KR and HD Hyundai has enabled us to build the technical foundation for introducing ammonia-fueled vessels in Korea. We will continue to drive national projects forward together with HD Hyundai and establish technical standards befitting the era of Green Shipping Corridors.”

Photo credit: HD Hyundai Heavy Industries
Published: 17 July, 2026

Wind-assisted

DNV awards TADC to Econowind for VentoFoil 3-Series

System actively harnesses wind power to generate forward thrust, helping to reduce bunker fuel consumption and mitigate FuelEU penalties.

Published

2 days ago

July 17, 2026

Admin

DNV awards TADC to Econowind for VentoFoil 3-Series

Dutch wind-assisted propulsion technology firm Econowind on Wednesday (15 July) said it has received a Type Approval Design Certificate (TADC) from classification society DNV for its VentoFoil 3-Series boundary layer suction wing.

The company said the certification confirms compliance with DNV’s ST-0511 standard for Wind-Assisted Propulsion Systems and enables easier integration of VentoFoils on DNV-classed vessels worldwide.

Econowind added that the approval accelerates the deployment of wind propulsion across the shipping industry.

“DNV is one of the world’s leading classification societies. This TADC gives DNV-classed shipowners confidence that VentoFoils meet the highest industry standards,” said Chiel de Leeuw, Chief Commercial Officer at Econowind.

“It simplifies the approval process for both retrofits and newbuilds. VentoFoils are ideal for late-stage design integration and retrofit projects. This is an important milestone for Econowind and for the wider adoption of wind-assisted ship propulsion.”

The 3-Series VentoFoil is Econowind’s best-selling suction wing to date, with over 150 units sold. The system actively harnesses wind power to generate forward thrust, helping to reduce fuel consumption and mitigate FuelEU penalties. The system includes a tilting foundation, allowing the wings to be tilted down during port operations or in adverse weather conditions, making it a flexible solution.

The TADC applies to the 16-meter VentoFoil 3-Series product design and supports easy integration into DNV-classed vessels without repeating the full design assessment process. This enables shipowners, shipyards, and project teams to move more efficiently from concept to installation, reducing project complexity and accelerating deployment.

Hasso Hoffmeister, Senior Principal Engineer at DNV Maritime, said: “It is a great pleasure to award Econowind this new certificate. WAPS have been going from strength to strength over the past few years, from 2022 the number of vessels in operation has increased five times, and we’ve now topped the century mark.

“And with the current advances in technology, materials, and production capacity in the segment, we expect this to accelerate. So, while the wind always changes, the shipping industry is likely to be sailing strong for years to come.”

Econowind expects the DNV Type Approval Design Certificate to accelerate adoption of the VentoFoil, particularly among shipowners seeking proven, independently certified technology that can support fuel savings, emissions reductions, and decarbonization goals.

MS Heinz of HS Schiffahrt is among the first vessels to sail under this TADC.The company said the approval builds on Econowind’s growing installed base and further strengthens confidence in wind-assisted ship propulsion as a practical solution to address energy scarcity and high fuel prices.

In addition to the 3-Series, Econowind offers the 5-Series for the deep-sea market.

Photo credit: Econowind
Published: 17 July, 2026