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ENGINE: Europe & Africa Bunker Fuel Availability Outlook

Bunkers tight across ARA, Gibraltar and Med portsl; ARA fuel oil stocks drawn as Russian imports decline; Gibraltar Strait congestion mounts.

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ENGINE Europe

The following article regarding Europe and Africa bunker fuel availability has been provided by online marine fuel procurement platform ENGINE for post on Singapore bunkering publication Manifold Times:

30 March 2022

  • Bunkers tight across ARA, Gibraltar and Med ports
  • ARA fuel oil stocks drawn as Russian imports decline
  • Gibraltar Strait congestion mounts

Supply is tight across all fuel grades in ARA and Gibraltar Strait ports. Stems require around 5-10 days of lead time. A combination of heightened counterparty risk and self-sanctioning of Russian fuel has compounded with periods of strong bunker demand when prices have dropped, to put pressure on availability of fuel grades and bunker schedules.

Volatile crude prices have forced suppliers to shorten offer validities to only a few minutes, with reconfirmation of prices during fixtures.

ARA’s fuel oil inventories have been drawn to their lowest level since December 2019. While the region’s gasoil stocks recovered some weight on the week, they remain close to multi-year lows, according to Insights Global.

Russia stopped being the biggest source for fuel oil imports to the ARA in the week, replaced by Turkey, Sweden and Poland, according to Vortexa. Bulgaria and the UK also shipped fuel oil that arrived in the ARA. Fuel oil cargoes departed for the UK, France and Spain.

In Hamburg, demand is said to be normal. HSFO380 remains tight and subject to firm enquiry. Recommended lead times for LSMGO and VLSFO are around five days.

Germany has triggered an “early warning level” of its emergency plan for gas security and formed a crisis team to analyse the supply situation. The warning level follows repeated announcements from Russian officials over the past week, saying it will only accept gas payments in roubles from “unfriendly countries”. Russia insists the shift to roubles will only happen gradually, but that it could also be applied to wider set of commodities.

Prompt deliveries are difficult to find across the Mediterranean region, sources say.

Availability of HSFO and LSMGO remains tight across Italian most ports. Only certain suppliers can offer limited prompt deliveries of VLSFO in Genoa, where demand has been good in the past week, a source says.

Gibraltar suffers massive congestion from weather-triggered suspensions in recent days. Suppliers in the port were delayed by 1-3 days and 34 vessels were waiting to bunker on Wednesday, port agent MH Bland says.

In Algeciras, bunker deliveries remained suspended at the more weather-exposed outer C and D anchorages due to bad weather. Suppliers continued to deliver at its inner A and B anchorages, where there were 15 vessels in line to bunker. Deliveries are subject to a final decision, MH Bland says.

Bunker operations on Wednesday normalised at anchorages in Ceuta after being weather triggered suspension in past days.

Weather conditions in are forecast to deteriorate again in the Gibraltar Strait from Saturday through to Tuesday, possibly triggering more suspensions and delays then.

Prompt VLSFO and LSMGO availability is generally fine in South African ports, except for Cape Town where supply is reported tight.

 

Photo credit and source: ENGINE
Published: 31 March, 2022

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China: Chimbusco and BJEC enter green methanol cooperation agreement

Document was signed between Ding Lihai, deputy general manager of Chimbusco, and Li Jianjun, deputy general manager of BJEC.

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Chimbusco x BJEC MT

China Marine Bunker (PetroChina) Co.,Ltd. (Chimbusco) and POWERCHINA Beijing Engineering Corporation Limited (BJEC) on Thursday (3 July) formally entered into a green methanol strategic cooperation framework agreement.

The document was signed between Ding Lihai, deputy general manager of Chimbusco, and Li Jianjun, deputy general manager of BJEC.

BJEC, a subsidiary of China Power Engineering Group, is experienced in the survey, design, construction and technology research and development of large-scale renewable energy projects.

Moving forward, the two parties said they will respectively focus on their core advantages and work together to promote the production, supply, storage and refuelling of green methanol as an energy source to help support the low-carbon transformation of the shipping industry.

Ding Lihai said: “The shipping industry is one of the important sources of global carbon emissions. Promoting low-carbon fuel is the key to the transformation of the industry. As the main force in the supply of bunker fuel, Chimbusco has been committed to expanding its clean fuel supply capacity. The cooperation with BJEC will integrate the advantages of green energy development and fuel supply, accelerate the large-scale application of green methanol, and meet the needs of shipping companies for clean fuel. We look forward to providing effective solutions for the green transformation of the shipping industry through the joint efforts of both parties.”

Li Jianjun said: “Implementing the ‘dual carbon’ goal is an important responsibility of enterprises. BJEC has accumulated strong technical strength in the field of green energy. This cooperation with Chimbusco will focus on the entire industrial chain of green methanol, from raw materials, production to supply, to provide clean and sustainable fuel solutions for the shipping industry. The complementary advantages of both parties will promote the rapid development of the green methanol industry and inject strong impetus into the low-carbon transformation of the shipping industry.”

 

Photo credit: China Marine Bunker (PetroChina) Co.,Ltd.
Published: 8 July 2025

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Towngas and Royal Vopak collaborate to expand green methanol supply chain network

‘Towngas has recently completed a 6,000-tonne green methanol bunkering project, the largest in Asia,” said its Chief Operating Officer – Green Fuel and Chemicals.

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Towngas x Royal Vopak MT

Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited (Towngas) and Vopak China Management Co., Ltd. (Royal Vopak) on Tuesday (8 July) said both recently signed a strategic framework cooperation agreement to collaborate in areas such as green methanol production, storage, bunkering, and trading etc.

Focusing on the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, and Asia-Pacific markets, both parties are joining forces to expand an efficient green methanol supply chain network and support the shipping industry’s low-carbon transition.

The two parties will capitalise on their respective strengths to expand the supply network of green methanol.

Towngas employs proprietary technology to convert agricultural and forestry waste as well as scrap tyres into green methanol, and has obtained multiple international certifications and provides a sufficient supply of green methanol for maritime fuel bunkering.

Royal Vopak provides green methanol storage and terminal services with its comprehensive storage and terminal infrastructure and coastal port network advantages.

Together, the two parties will achieve efficient resource allocation and ship green methanol to the Greater Bay Area, East China, South China, and the broader Asia-Pacific markets, further expanding the green methanol supply chain network.

Towngas and Royal Vopak will further develop multiple areas of regional cooperation, including in the Greater Bay Area. By leveraging the strengths of the ports in Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou, the partnership will focus on “production and storage synergy” as its core to strengthen cooperation around logistics and terminal facility construction, and to build an integrated green methanol storage and transportation network.

In East China, the two parties will centre their collaboration in Shanghai and Ningbo, two major international ports, to further strengthen cooperation in logistics storage and bunkering facility construction to meet the growing demand for green fuels at both ports.

In the Bohai Bay region, with Tianjin as the strategic hub, Towngas will transport green methanol produced at its northern China production base to Royal Vopak’s local storage tank farm, then achieve resource allocation through the Royal Vopak’s distribution network, supporting the supply of green methanol from northern China to the national and Asia-Pacific markets.

The two parties will also target key export markets, such as Singapore, Vietnam, Japan, and South Korea, to accelerate overseas expansion and boost the market competitiveness of clean energy in the Asia-Pacific region.

“Towngas has recently completed a 6,000-tonne green methanol bunkering project, the largest in Asia,” said Sham Man-fai, Towngas Chief Operating Officer – Green Fuel and Chemicals.

“It was completed with the support of Royal Vopak’s Tianjin storage tank farm facilities, laying a solid foundation for this partnership.

“Towngas’s Inner Mongolia green methanol plant is set to increase its annual capacity from 100,000 tonnes to 150,000 tonnes by the end of this year, with plans to further expand to 300,000 tonnes by 2028. Together with Royal Vopak’s storage and terminal services infrastructure and coastal port network, the two parties will build a comprehensive green methanol supply chain network.”

 

Photo credit: Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited
Published: 8 July 2025

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SEKAVIN starts new physical supply operations in the port of Istanbul and Izmit Bay

Operation is supported by three marine refuelling barges; namely Tarabya-E, Beykoz- E, and Kalamis-E.

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SEKAVIN BARGE

Piraeus-based bunkering firm SEKAVIN on Monday (7 July) said it has recently started new physical supply operations in the port of Istanbul and Izmit Bay.

The operation is supported by three marine refuelling barges; namely Tarabya-E, Beykoz- E, and Kalamis-E. The bunkering vessels have successfully completed numerous deliveries to seagoing vessels.

According to SEKAVIN, Istanbul represents one of the world’s most strategic and challenging maritime environments. The country sees more than 43,000 annual Bosphorus passages and delivers roughly 2 million metric tons per year in bunkers to receiving ships.

In a statement to Manifold Times, John Tsogas, Global Head of Bunkering at SEKAVIN, noted his company intends to offer partners “a very reliable and flexible service” covering the Northeast Med with Istanbul.

The development is in combination with the bunkering firm’s current physical operations in Syros port, together with their traditional Piraeus physical operations which have been carried out for almost 50 years.

Related: SEKAVIN and GCL to strengthen marine fuel supply and logistics in key bunkering hubs

 

Photo credit: SEKAVIN
Published: 8 July 2025

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