Business

ENGINE: East of Suez Bunker Fuel Availability Outlook

Lead times for low sulphur fuel stems are steady on the week in Singapore, Zhoushan and Tokyo, while prompt supply has improved in Fujairah.

Published

5 years ago

May 12, 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:

11 May 2021

Lead times for low sulphur fuel stems are steady on the week in Singapore, Zhoushan and Tokyo, while prompt supply has improved in Fujairah.

Singapore’s fuel oil inventories surged 11% higher to 27.23 million bbls last week – their highest level since March 2017, Enterprise Singapore data shows. There is more fuel oil in storage as imports have declined and local bunker demand has been muted. The port’s middle distillate stocks rose by 4%.

A combination of growing fuel oil and gasoil stocks and a slowdown in bunker demand has shortened lead times in Singapore. VLSFO stems now require bookings 6-8 days ahead, down from more than 10 days a month ago. LSMGO is also readily available in the port with 4-5 days of lead time needed, down from 5-7 days a month ago.

HSFO380 continues to be less available in the bunkering hub, with lead times steady on the week at 10 days ahead, while shorter compared to 12-15 days during April.

Fujairah’s lead times for VLSFO and LSMGO stems have improved on the week standing at four days, down from five days last week. HSFO380 supply remains tight.

Ships arriving in the UAE port of Khor Fakkan from India will have to complete a 14-day quarantine before crew changes are allowed, Khorfakkan Immigrations has announced. Fujairah has banned crew changes for ships sailing from India since late April, following surging Covid-19 cases in the country.

Northern Chinese ports, including Lianyungang, Lanshan, Rizhao and Qingdao, were hit by rough weather late last week, disrupting bunkering operations in the region over the weekend. Operations have now resumed, and supply backlogs have already been cleared in the local ports.

The bunkering hub of Zhoushan was unaffected by the rough weather as it is located further south. Both Zhoushan and Shanghai require just three days of lead time for low sulphur fuel stems, the shortest among most East of Suez ports. HSFO380 supply is tighter in the two neighbouring Chinese ports, but with some suppliers able to accommodate prompt stems.

Lead times for low sulphur fuel stems in Tokyo are steady on the week, standing at seven days, while HSFO380 supply continues to be tight.

The earliest delivery date for VLSFO in southern South Korean ports stands at 15-16 May. Similar to Tokyo, HSFO380 is tighter in South Korean ports with limited availability.

Photo credit: ENGINE
Published: 12 May, 2021

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.

Published

15 hours ago

July 21, 2026

Admin

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.

Photo credit: Sora Shimazaki
Published: 21 July, 2026

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.

Published

15 hours ago

July 21, 2026

Admin

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.

Photo credit: Drew Beamer
Published: 21 July, 2026

LNG Bunkering

PIL’s LNG dual-fuel boxship “Kota Elok” arrives in Singapore on maiden call

As the first of 13 new 13,000 TEU vessels joining its fleet, Kota Elok is equipped to operate on LNG and low-sulphur fuel oil that helps reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

Published

15 hours ago

July 21, 2026

Admin

PIL's LNG dual-fuel boxship “Kota Elok” arrives in Singapore on maiden call

Singapore-based Pacific International Lines Pte Ltd on Monday (20 July) said its first 13,000 TEU LNG dual-fuel container vessel, Kota Elok, recently made her maiden call to Singapore on 15 July.

As the first of 13 new 13,000 TEU vessels joining its fleet, Kota Elok is equipped to operate on liquefied natural gas (LNG) and low-sulphur fuel oil that helps reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

The vessel also incorporated energy-saving features and digital technologies to reduce fuel consumption and enhance operational performance, as well as a bow windshield to improve aerodynamics, contributing to improved fuel efficiency and lower emissions over the course of long-haul voyages.

“Following Singapore, Kota Elok will continue her voyage on our East Coast Service 1 (ES1) route to South America, calling at ports in Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina before returning to Asia,” the company said in a social media post.

Kota Elok also became PIL’s first vessel to receive Lloyd’s Register certification for compliance with the IACS UR E26 and UR E27 cyber security requirements.

Developed by the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS), UR E26 and UR E27 are mandatory cyber resilience requirements for newbuild vessels contracted from 1 July 2024.

Photo credit: Pacific International Lines
Published: 21 July, 2026