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ENGINE: East of Suez Bunker Fuel Availability Outlook

VLSFO and HSFO availability remains tight in Singapore; South Korean and Chinese ports recover from typhoon disruptions; availability steady for all grades in Hong Kong.

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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:

6 September 2022

  • VLSFO and HSFO availability remains tight in Singapore
  • South Korean and Chinese ports recover from typhoon disruptions
  • Availability steady for all grades in Hong Kong

 

Singapore

Fuel oil grades are in tight availability in Singapore, while gasoil is more readily available. Lead times for VLSFO are 11-13 days and 9-13 days for HSFO. LSMGO has a much shorter lead time of 3-5 days.

Singapore’s residual fuel oil inventories increased by 7% in the week ending 31 August, but averaged 3% lower in over the whole of August than in July, according to Enterprise Singapore.

The port’s fuel oil inventories fell to record lows in early August before growing gradually with support from a greater net import surplus later in the month. Imports averaged 14% higher than in July, while exports averaged 9% lower.

 

East Asia

Bunker suppliers in Zhoushan stopped supplying last Friday, when super typhoon Hinnamnor brought rough weather to the region. Bunker operations continued to be suspended at Zhoushan’s outer port limit (OPL) on Tuesday amid heavy swells, but could resume by Wednesday, according to White Whale Shipping Agency.

While bunkering has been capped by the recent weather disruptions in Zhoushan, there is almost no backlog of vessels in the port, a source says. VLSFO and LSMGO availability remains steady with lead time of two days. Availability of HSFO can still be tight with lead times of 4-8 days, sources say.

Bunkering remained suspended across South Korean ports on Tuesday and is only expected to resume on Thursday, sources say. Typhoon Hinnamnor made landfall in Geoje on South Korea’s southern coast on Monday, before continuing north over Busan and Ulsan.

South Korea’s southern ports were right in Hinnamnor’s path and took harder hits than the country’s western ports. Disrupted bunker schedules has pushed back recommended lead times for all grades to around two weeks with suppliers in southern ports. Lead times are 9-13 days for in western ports. 

Availability of VLSFO, LSMGO and HSFO remains steady in Hong Kong with lead times of around four days.

 

South Asia

Availability of VLSFO remains good across the Indian ports of Mumbai, Cochin, Chennai and Kandla with lead times of 2-3 days recommended.

A longer six days of lead time is recommended for VLSFO and HSFO in Mundra. Visakhapatnam is almost out of VLSFO. A supplier expects replenishment stocks to arrive next week.

Colombo’s VLSFO and LSMGO availability remains slightly tight. A supplier has good supply of VLSFO and LSMGO in Colombo and Trincomalee, and anticipates a replenishment cargo of VLSFO to arrive in the coming weeks.

 

Middle East

Availability of HSFO and LSMGO remains slightly tight for prompt dates in Fujairah. Recommended lead times are around seven days for VLSFO and LSMGO and nine days for HSFO. Some suppliers can offer VLSFO for prompter dates, a trader says.

By Tuhin Roy and Nithin Chandran

 

Photo credit and source: ENGINE
Published: 7 September, 2022

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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.

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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

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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.

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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

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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.

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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

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