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ENGINE: East of Suez Bunker Fuel Availability Outlook

Lead times for low sulphur bunker stems are shorter in Singapore, Japan and South Korea this week, while supply has tightened slightly in Fujairah, it said.

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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 April 2021

Lead times for low sulphur bunker stems are shorter in Singapore, Japan and South Korea this week, while supply has tightened slightly in Fujairah.

Singapore’s total fuel oil stocks grew by another 2% last week, reaching a four-month high of 23.62 million bbls, according to data from Enterprise Singapore. The bunkering hub’s residual oil inventories were buoyed amid a 30% decline in fuel oil exports on the week, and an 11% increase in imports.

The stockbuild may have contributed to bringing down lead times for VLSFO, which came down from 11 days last week to nine days now. HSFO380 supply remains particularly tight in the bunkering hub, with lead times stretching to 12-15 days. Lead times for LSMGO stems have dropped by one day, to 5-6 days ahead now.

Availability of prompt product tightened with higher bunker demand in South Korean ports earlier this month. Lead times in ports including Busan and Ulsan were around 4-7 days for VLSFO and LSMGO stems at the beginning of the month, and increased to 6-8 days at the end of last week. HSFO380 was particularly tight with delivery dates subject to availability. But prompt availability has improved this week, with lead times dropping to just 2-3 days for the low sulphur grades, and 4-6 days for HSFO380.

The Chinese ports of Zhoushan and Shanghai also have good fuel availability. Lead times for bunker stems are steady at around three days in the two ports.

Tokyo’s lead times for VLSFO and LSMGO have dropped to around seven days this week, down from 11 days last month. The port’s bunker delivery capacity has improved after maintenance of a supplier’s berth was completed. The maintenance put pressure on the port’s bunker delivery logistics throughout March. HSFO380 stems continue to be tight in the Japanese port, with some suppliers already sold out for April. 

Japan did not import any fuel oil for the second consecutive week, while it was the fourth week in a row without any HSFO imports. The country’s low sulphur fuel oil (LSFO) exports dropped by 17% on the week, to their lowest levels since the beginning of the year. Japan’s HSFO exports grew 14% on the week to a multi-month high.

Fujairah’s lead times have increased by one day from last week across fuel grades. VLSFO and LSMGO stems now require up to seven days ahead, and HSFO380 stems nine days ahead.

Fuel availability has improved in Port Suez, after supplies dwindled during the Suez Canal blockage last month. Egyptian refineries prioritised bunkering of tugboats and other rescue vessels over resupplying local bunker suppliers in Port Suez during the refloating of the stranded ultra-large container ship Ever Given. The week-long freeing mission therefore delayed resupply, leaving local bunker suppliers with only limited volumes of HSFO380 left to sell. Bunker suppliers in Port Suez have now replenished their stocks of VLSFO and LSMGO, although LSMGO remains tight in the Egyptian port.


Photo credit and source:
ENGINE
Published: 14 April, 2021

 

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Bunker Fuel Quality

FOBAS: High/off-spec ash found in ARA residual bunker fuels due to calcium

These fuels were bunkered in the second half of April from ports in the ARA region with tested ash ranging from 0.102 to 0.127%m/m; high calcium is a main contributor to the off-spec ash.

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Louis Reed from Unsplash

Lloyd’s Register Fuel Oil Bunkering Analysis and Advisory Service (FOBAS) on Thursday (8 May) released a bulletin regarding its testing on a number of fuels that have a high tested Ash content, above the 0.100%m/m limit for an RMG380 grade:

In recent days FOBAS has tested a number of fuels that have a high tested Ash content, above the 0.100%m/m limit for an RMG380 grade. These fuels were bunkered in the second half of April from ports in the ARA (Antwerp, Rotterdam, Amsterdam) region with tested Ash ranging from 0.102 to 0.127%m/m.

These fuels are all high sulphur residual fuels (>0.50% mass) with very similar properties and appear to be from the same source.

One common factor in all is the high Calcium which is a main contributor to the off-spec Ash in each case. Calcium ranged from 116mg/kg up to 181mg/kg. Sodium was also relatively high ranging from 50 to 86mg/kg., The fuels also had high acid numbers (TAN) ranging from 2.20 to 3.40mgKOH/g.

Often when we see high acid numbers (>2.00mgKOH/g) and high Calcium together this is due to naphthenic acids. These are present in the original crude oil and generally not considered any operational concern. Initial testing on some of these recent fuels show naphthenic acids to be present.

There are some additional points to clarify on the above:

  • Firstly, in relation to Calcium, it may be noted that ISO8217 lists a 30mg/kg limit for Calcium. It is important to note the full clarification in the standard however, where the Calcium limit only applies in conjunction with the Phosphorus or Zinc limits of 15mg/kg, used as a measure of ULO (Used Lubricating Oil) presence, rather than to limit the Calcium content on its own.
  • Sodium levels, although relatively high are all still below the 100mg/kg RMG380 grade limit.
  • On any high acid number fuel, it should also be noted that just because naphthenic acids are present, it does not rule out any other contamination or potential issues with the fuel. Additional attention should be given to the performance of the fuel injection equipment and component conditions during the use of such fuels
  • Although Calcium on its own is not a problem, at high levels where it increases the total Ash content as seen here, it can be an issue with increased Ash potentially leading to an increase in post combustion fouling and surging of turbocharger. This should not be allowed to accumulate in particular in the turbocharger, inlet grids, nozzle and blading.

So far we have not had any operation problems reported on the use of these fuels, however caution should be taken in particular to dealing with any increase in post combustion fouling as mentioned, and if further investigation into the nature of the acidic components present is required to confirm they are only naphthenic acids then detailed GCMS forensic testing could be carried out.

 

Photo credit: Louis Reed from Unsplash
Published: 9 May, 2025

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LNG Bunkering

Singapore: ITOPF and Britannia P&I Club conduct table-top workshop for LNG bunker spills

Both held a workshop where attendees planned a response to a spill scenario of LNG from an alternatively fuelled vessel as part of a new training exercise.

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Singapore: ITOPF and Britannia P&I Club conduct table-top workshop for LNG bunker spills

The International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF) on Wednesday (7 May) said it held a table-top workshop with Britannia P&I Club in Singapore where attendees planned a response to a spill scenario of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) as part of a new training exercise called HYDRO NEXUS. 

The half-day event saw team members from Britannia successfully responding to a spill of LNG bunkers from an alternatively fuelled vessel, who were assisted by the ITOPF team on how best to approach the response, taking into account the risks and hazards presented by this substance.

“The Britannia team were guided by ITOPF’s experts on the steps of an alternative fuel and HNS (Hazardous and Noxious Substances) response, including information gathering, risk assessment, appropriate PPE selection, and use of different techniques and equipment used in these spill scenarios,” it said on its website. 

“One key component of the exercise was to demonstrate the potential impacts and claims that the P&I insurers may face during an alternative fuel/HNS incident. Teams collated costs for loss of life and personal injury, clean-up and preventive measures, property damage, economic loss and environmental damage claims.”

 

Photo credit: International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation
Published: 9 May, 2025

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Decarbonisation

Singapore-based Berge Bulk installs carbon capture system on board bulk carrier

System, developed by Value Maritime, integrates carbon capture into an exhaust gas cleaning system known as the Filtree System, designed to capture up to 15 tonnes of CO₂ per day.

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Singapore-based Berge Bulk installs carbon capture system on board bulk carrier

Singapore-based dry bulk owner Berge Bulk on Wednesday (7 May) said it has completed the installation of a carbon capture system on board its 63,000 DWT Ultramax vessel Berge Yotei.

The system, developed by Value Maritime, integrates carbon capture into an exhaust gas cleaning system known as the Filtree System. It is designed to capture up to 15 tonnes of CO₂ per day, representing a potential 30% reduction in emissions during operations.

Unlike conventional scrubbers, the Filtree System removes both sulphur oxides and CO₂ from a vessel’s exhaust. CO₂ is absorbed into a reusable amine solution, which can be offloaded in port for regeneration or reuse. Potential applications include use in greenhouses, beverage production, and other industrial processes — contributing to a more circular carbon economy.

“Carbon capture is a key pillar of our decarbonisation strategy. While we remain committed to optimising fleet efficiency, installing decarbonisation technology, and switching to new fuels, we must also capture carbon at the same time.” said James Marshall, CEO of Berge Bulk. 

“We’ve been actively capturing carbon through nature-based solutions on shore for many years, now it’s time to also start capturing carbon on board.”

As the industry looks to decarbonise, Berge Bulk emphasised the need for collaboration across governments, ports, technology providers, and regulators to develop the infrastructure, protocols, and commercial models needed to support carbon capture at scale.

 

Photo credit: Berge Bulk
Published: 9 May, 2025

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