Business

ENGINE: East of Suez Bunker Fuel Availability Outlook

Zhoushan’s OPL bunkering remains suspended; wider Fujairah VLSFO discounts to other hubs; VLSFO availability tight in South Korean ports.

Published

2 years ago

October 19, 2022

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:

18 October 2022

Zhoushan’s OPL bunkering remains suspended
Wider Fujairah VLSFO discounts to other hubs
VLSFO availability tight in South Korean ports

Singapore

Prompt availability is still tight for all the main bunker fuel grades in Singapore. HSFO has the longest recommended lead times of 11-13 days, followed by 10-12 for VLSFO and 8-10 days for LSMGO.

LSMGO availability started tightening at the beginning of the month, while the fuel oil grades have been tight for months.

Singapore’s residual fuel oil inventories were drawn by a massive 12% in the week ending 12 October, but the stocks have still averaged 1% higher in October than in September., according to Enterprise Singapore.

East Asia

Bunker operations at Zhoushan’s outer port limits (OPL) have been suspended since Friday. OPL activity is likely to resume on Wednesday, when calmer weather is forecast, according to White Whale Shipping Agency.

Weather-related disruptions have led to bunker congestion in Zhoushan. The number of vessels waiting to bunker across Zhoushan's anchorages has increased by six since Monday to 19 vessels on Tuesday, according to White Whale Shipping Agency.

VLSFO availability remains tight in Zhoushan as weather-related disruptions have caused backlogs to build. Recommended lead times for VLSFO are around five days. Some suppliers can offer prompt lead times of two days for smaller quantities, sources say. Recommended lead times for LSMGO are about five days, and lead times of 5-7 days are advised for HSFO.

Bunker operations have been slowed by rough weather in some of South Korea's southern and western ports, sources say.

VLSFO availability remains tight in South Korean ports as most suppliers are running low on stocks. Only one supplier can offer VLSFO with lead times of around of five days now. The rest of the suppliers can only offer delivery dates from the first week of November, sources say.

LSMGO and HSFO availability remains steady in the South Korean ports with lead times of 4-9 days.

Availability across all fuel grades is getting tighter in Hong Kong with lead times of around seven days advised.

South Asia

VLSFO can be delivered with around 2-3 days of lead time in several Indian ports, including Mumbai, Mundra and Kandla on the northwest coast, and Cochin and Chennai on the southern coast.

Visakhapatnam on India’s east coast is almost out VLSFO, while availability of VLSFO has been normal in Kakinada.

VLSFO availability remains good in the Sri Lankan port of Colombo with lead times of 1-3 days.

Middle East

Fujairah's VLSFO price moved to discounts to Singapore and Zhoushan in the first week of October, and these discounts have more than doubled since then.

The UAE port's residual fuel oil stocks have averaged 3% bigger so far this month than in September, with a major increase in imports of Russian fuel oil barrels contributing to a net import surplus. This, together with weak bunker demand, has triggered some suppliers to lower prices in an effort to stimulate demand.

Recommended lead times for VLSFO in the port are around six days. Lead times for HSFO are seven days, and about four days for LSMGO.

By Tuhin Roy

Photo credit and source: ENGINE
Published: 19 October, 2022

Bunker Fuel

SIBCON 2024: EnterpriseSG to launch new Singapore standard for e-BDN

EnterpriseSG, through the Singapore Standards Council, will launch a new Singapore Standard 709 Specification for Digital Bunkering Supply Chain Documentation.

Published

16 hours ago

October 10, 2024

Admin

SIBCON 2024: New Singapore standard on digital bunkering to be launched

Enterprise Singapore (EnterpriseSG), through the Singapore Standards Council (SSC), will launch a new Singapore Standard (SS) 709 Specification for Digital Bunkering Supply Chain Documentation, according to Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) on Wednesday (9 October).

MPA said the new standard will ensure data consistency and interoperability between digital systems and facilitate smoother transactions through trusted and verifiable digital bunkering documents.

This comes following Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State for the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment and the Ministry of Transport, announcing that from 1 April 2025, all bunker suppliers will be required to provide digital bunkering services and issue electronic bunker delivery notes (e-BDNs) as a default.

The move was decided following successful pilots conducted since 1 November 2023 with bunker suppliers, including the top 10 bunker players, in Singapore.

To further enhance transparency and transaction integrity in bunkering operations, MPA will also introduce a centralised e-BDN record verification facility. This enables key stakeholders to verify the e-BDN received against the information transmitted to MPA.

EnterpriseSG has also launched the revised Singapore Standard (SS) 648 Code of Practice for Bunker Mass Flow Metering to include data integrity and transmission requirements in line with this new digital standard.

In the first eight months of 2024, MPA said Singapore saw strong growth of approximately 7% in total bunker sales over the same period last year, reaching over 36 million tonnes. Biofuels and liquefied natural gas bunker sales surpassed 700,00 metric tonnes.

To support the operationalisation of a higher mix of low-carbon alternative fuels, both EnterpriseSG and MPA are developing the Singapore standards for methanol bunkering and ammonia bunkering by 2024 and 2025 respectively.

The standards will cover custody transfer requirements, safety procedures and crew competencies, to ensure safe bunkering operations and handling of these fuels.

MPA also announced that three major shipping lines — Hafnia, K-Line, and MOL — are in early discussions to join the Singapore - Port of Los Angeles (LA)- Port of Long Beach (LB) Green and Digital Shipping Corridor (GDSC) initiative.

Each partner would be expected to spearhead a project to advance the corridor’s decarbonisation and digitalisation goals, such as the adoption of net-zero fuels, Just-in-Time route optimisation, and energy efficiency technologies such as wind-assisted ship propulsion.

The addition of the new partners will significantly strengthen the GDSC’s capacity to drive innovation in sustainable shipping practices and accelerate the adoption of zero/near-zero emission fuels and green technologies along the corridor.

Photo credit: Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore
Published: 10 October, 2024

Alternative Fuels

SIBCON 2024: SGMF releases methanol and ammonia bunkering guidelines

SFMF published Bunkering Guidelines for Ammonia and Bunkering Guidelines for Methanol, as well as Emergency Response Guide for Ammonia; also revealed new brand to reflect four key future marine fuels.

Published

16 hours ago

October 10, 2024

Admin

SIBCON 2024: SGMF releases methanol and ammonia bunkering guidelines

SGMF on Wednesday (9 October) announced the release of the Bunkering Guidelines for Ammonia and Bunkering Guidelines for Methanol, as well as the Emergency Response Guide for Ammonia.

During the 23rd Singapore International Bunkering Conference (SIBCON), SGMF also revealed its new brand reflecting the organisation’s current activities in the four key marine fuels for the future: LNG, methanol, ammonia and hydrogen.

SGMF is a membership-based organisation leading safe maritime decarbonisation with members across the full value chain of marine fuels, including suppliers, operators, owners, equipment manufacturers, class societies, port authorities, individuals and training organisations.

While the search for the perfect alternative fuel continues, SGMF said methanol and ammonia are two of the fuels that the global merchant fleet has identified and is looking to implement, emphasising the importance of these guidelines.

Methanol – With the first vessels already running on methanol, and many more on order, methanol is ahead of the curve in terms of adoption. It has also overtaken regulation, meaning that these early adopters are having to put forward safety solutions that have not yet been documented, and bunker suppliers using existing chemical carriers are trying to second guess what conversion and equipment may be needed to make their vessels physically compatible with the ships being produced. These methanol bunkering guidelines have been published as a first draft to highlight the key safety factors that need to be considered when designing and bunkering a vessel of any type with methanol.

Ammonia – Despite ammonia (NH3) not yet being commercially available as a marine fuel, this bunkering document provides guidance to all the stakeholders currently investigating and developing the bunkering of ships with fully refrigerated (-33°C) ammonia.

A range of potential hazards are expected with bunkering ammonia and to date there is very limited experience, with only one series of bunkering trials conducted as at March 2024.

As a result, Bunkering Guidelines for Ammonia draws primarily on the current experience of LNG bunkering, the wider ammonia marine transport industry and the shoreside ammonia production and transport industry experience.

“The overall aim of these guidelines is therefore to ensure that ammonia-fuelled ships are bunkered safely, reliably, efficiently and in an environmentally responsible way, targeting the avoidance of operational or fugitive emissions of ammonia,” SGMF added.

These publications have been compiled with extensive input from the SGMF membership, as well as with collaborative support from the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) and the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping (MMMCZCS).

Note: The bunkering guidelines are available in the shop on SGMF portal and the Emergency Response Guide for Ammonia can be downloaded through its free resources section.

Photo credit: SGMF
Published: 10 October, 2024

Technology

SIBCON 2024: TFG Marine to launch ZeroNorth e-BDNs in Singapore

‘We are excited to work with providers such as ZeroNorth to roll out eBDNs to our customers, not only in Singapore but across our global operations,’ says Kenneth Dam, TFG Marine Global Head of Bunkering.

Published

16 hours ago

October 10, 2024

Admin

SIBCON 2024: TFG Marine to launch ZeroNorth e-BDNs in Singapore

TFG Marine (TFG), the international marine fuel joint venture founded by Trafigura, Frontline and Golden Ocean, on Wednesday (9 October) said it will introduce ZeroNorth’s electronic bunker delivery notes (eBDNs) solution for its customers in Singapore by the end of the year.

Kenneth Dam, TFG Marine Global Head of Bunkering, made the announcement during the International Trade and Fuel Market Trends panel discussion at the 23rd Singapore International Bunkering Conference (SIBCON).

Dam said: “We are excited to work with providers such as ZeroNorth to roll out eBDNs to our customers, not only in Singapore but across our global operations.”

“This technology will help digitalise the bunker delivery process, reduce administrative burdens, enhance digital documentation, and contribute to a smarter, more connected bunkering sector.”

“We are committed to advocating for the adoption of eBDNs as a global standard for bunker fuel delivery.”

The fully digital solution, accessible through TFG Marine’s mobile app and integrated with SGTraDex digital infrastructure, will enable the inclusion of additional data, such as mass flow meter readings during fuel deliveries.

“This will drive substantial improvements in efficiency, accuracy, compliance, and sustainability across operations, complementing our global mass flow meter global rollout across our fleet and ensuring TFG Marine remains at the forefront of the bunkering industry,” the firm added.

Photo credit: TFG Marine
Published: 10 October, 2024