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ENGINE: Europe & Africa Bunker Fuel Availability Outlook (17 July 2024)

HSFO is still tight in the ARA hub; demand is low in Las Palmas; low LSMGO demand in Maputo.

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RESIZED ENGINE Europe and Africa

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:

  • HSFO is still tight in the ARA hub
  • Demand is low in Las Palmas
  • Low LSMGO demand in Maputo

Northwest Europe

Prompt supply of HSFO has been tight in Rotterdam since last week, according to a trader. The availability of the high-sulphur grade is tight because of delays in the arrival of replenishment cargoes. Lead times of 5–7 days are recommended for HSFO deliveries in Rotterdam, unchanged from last week. VLSFO and LSMGO grades are available in the port for prompt delivery dates, with recommended lead times of 3–5 days.

Availability of VLSFO and LSMGO is normal in the port, with some suppliers offering prompt delivery dates. Lead times have remained unchanged over the past few weeks, with a trader advising 3–5 days for optimal coverage from suppliers. Compared to last week, demand in the ARA hub has somewhat improved this week, a trader said.

The ARA’s independently held fuel oil stocks have averaged 9% lower coming into July than across June, according to Insights Global data.

The region has imported 182,000 b/d of fuel oil so far this month, down from 235,000 b/d of fuel oil imported in June, according to data from cargo tracker Vortexa. 17% of all imports into the ARA have come from the Caribbean region. Italy has accounted for 12% of the total imports this month, followed by France (11%) and Germany (9%).

The ARA hub’s independent gasoil inventories — which include diesel and heating oil — have declined by 3% coming into July. The region has imported 303,000 b/d of gasoil so far this month, a decline from 356,000 b/d imported in June, according to Vortexa data.

Bunker availability is good for prompt delivery dates in Hamburg, a trader told ENGINE. Lead times of 3–5 days are advised for optimal coverage in the port, which has remained consistent in the past few months.

Mediterranean

Bunker demand in Gibraltar has shown a slight increase from last week, yet it continues to be slow, a trader said. Availability is normal at the port, with prompt delivery dates available. A trader advised lead times of 3–5 days for optimal coverage from suppliers. 

In nearby Ceuta port, bunkering delays were reported at one of the terminals on Wednesday, with a bunker supplier reporting 4-5 hours of delay, said shipping agent Jose Salama & Co. The port has been witnessing bunker delays intermittently over the past two weeks. Dredging work is currently being carried out in the port, which is impacting bunker operations, the shipping agent told ENGINE. These dredging operations are aimed at increasing the vessel draft limits in certain areas of the port. Nine vessels were due to arrive for bunkers in Ceuta on Wednesday, up from three on Tuesday, the shipping agent added.

Bunker demand has been slow in the Canary Islands’ port of Las Palmas. All grades remain in normal supply in the port, with some suppliers offering grades for prompt delivery dates. Traders have advised lead times of 3–5 days for all bunker grades to ensure smooth coverage.

Demand has been low in other Mediterranean ports like Piraeus, Malta Offshore and Istanbul, a trader said.

In the Greek port of Piraeus, bunker availability across all grades is said to be normal amid low demand. A trader recommended lead times of 3–4 days for maximum coverage. The port area is expected to experience rough weather from Wednesday through Saturday, which could make bunkering more difficult.

Bunker fuel availability is normal across all grades off Malta, a trader told ENGINE. But demand remains muted in the Mediterranean port. Prompt delivery dates are available off Malta with a trader recommending lead times of 3–4 days for all grades. The weather is forecast to remain calm for the remaining days of this week to allow smooth bunkering.

Turkey’s Istanbul port has good availability across all three grades, with suppliers able to supply grades for prompt delivery dates. Lead times of 3–4 days are recommended across all grades, according to a trader. The port may experience bunkering disruptions between Wednesday and Saturday when rough weather is forecast in the area, according to a source.

Africa

LSMGO availability remains tight in South Africa’s Durban. Most suppliers can offer the grade for non-prompt delivery dates. Lead times of up to two weeks are recommended for the grade, which has remained unchanged in the past several weeks.

VLSFO is available for comparatively shorter lead times of 7–10 days in Durban and Richards Bay. Rough weather may impact bunkering in Durban on Friday, when strong wind gusts of up to 28 knots are forecast, according to a source.

In Mozambique’s Nacala, HSFO supply remains extremely tight, and demand for the grade has been low, a source told ENGINE. VLSFO and LSMGO availability is good amid steady demand.

Maputo currently has tight availability of both VLSFO and LSMGO. While demand is steady for VLSFO in Maputo, LSMGO is facing a slump in demand, a source said.

By Manjula Nair

 

Photo credit and source: ENGINE
Published: 11 July 2024

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Bunker Fuel

Singapore confirms bunker spill from damaged shore fuel hose at Brani Regional Base

Authorities said about 23 metric tonnes had leaked from a damaged shore fuel hose used to refuel patrol craft at Selat Sengkir and no oil slicks observed.

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RESIZED SG bunker tanker

Singapore authorities on Thursday (6 February) confirmed that a diesel oil leak was discovered at the Police Coast Guard (PCG) Brani Regional Base on 5 February, at around 11.40am (Singapore Time). 

The leak was eventually isolated at about 3.40pm. 

“About 23 metric tonnes had leaked from a damaged shore fuel hose used to refuel patrol craft at Selat Sengkir,” said Singapore Police Force, Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) and National Environment Agency (NEA) in a joint statement. 

PCG and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore have deployed patrol craft and spill response resources to clean up small patches of light oil sheens observed in our southern waters. 

Contractors have also been activated to support the operation. There are no oil slicks observed. 

Navigational traffic in the area is not affected. There is no impact to operations in the Port of Singapore.

 

Photo credit: Manifold Times
Published: 7 February, 2025

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LNG Bunkering

LNG bunkering at Port of Barcelona increases by 60.5% on year in 2024

Port said 229,750 cubic metre of LNG were supplied at the port in 2024, achieving an increase of 60.5% compared to 2023 and a total of 491 LNG bunkering operations were carried out at the port.

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LNG bunkering at Port of Barcelona increases by 60.5% on year in 2024

The Port of Barcelona on Wednesday (5 February) said 229,750 cubic metre (m³) of LNG were supplied at the port in 2024, achieving an increase of 60.5% compared to 2023.

The Port said the achievement placed Barcelona as the leading port in the state - with 40% of the total m³ of LNG supplied - and one of the first in Europe in LNG bunkering. 

In 2024, a total of 491 LNG bunkering operations were carried out for ships, of which 402 were via tankers trucks, with 45,427 m³ supplied, and 89 were ship-to-ship (STS) transfers from barges, with 184,324 m³ delivered. 

Of the 8,398 ship calls at the Port of Barcelona during 2024, 822 calls were from ships using LNG, about 10% of the total calls at the port.  

The ships that have received LNG bunker fuel in Barcelona have been mainly cruises and ferries, reaching close to 23% and 19% of the calls of both types of ships and contributing to a reduction in nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions of 20% for cruises and 18% for ferries. 

The top cruise companies have incorporated LNG-powered ships into their fleets, a good number of which operate regularly in Barcelona. During 2024, a total of 1,664,712 cruise passengers (45.5%) passed through Barcelona on board an LNG-powered cruise ship.

The increase in bunker supply of 60.5% has been possible due to several factors: 

  • the presence of the LNG supply barge based in the Haugesund port Knutsen, from the company Knutsen-Scale Gas,
  • the commitment of the shipping company Baleària to LNG, provided by several tanker trucks at the same time,
  • and the incorporation of new types of ships that use LNG in the port, notably car carriers. The Lake Herman ship, from Japanese shipping company MOL, was the first vehicle carrier to carry out LNG bunkering at the Port of Barcelona, ​​followed by four more ships of the same service, to which two new ships have been added at the beginning of 2025. 

During 2024, the fast ferry Margarita Salas, powered by dual LNG engines, was also added. Operated by Baleària, this ship began operating last June, connecting Barcelona with Mallorca and Menorca at high speed. This new connection reinforces the commitment to integrating LNG into passenger transport and significantly reduces the emissions generated on this route.

The Port of Barcelona said it will continue to facilitate the introduction of LNG with measures such as administrative simplification to facilitate the authorisation of LNG bunkering operations; and the availability of generic risk analyses to be able to expand these operations to other types of ships. 

During 2025, new risk analyses will be carried out to allow the supply of LNG to container ships, for which the port has already received interest from supply operators.

 

Photo credit: Port of Barcelona
Published: 7 February, 2025

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Shipping Corridor

Clear plan developed for Stockholm-Turku green shipping corridor

After a year of cooperation, Viking Line, Port of Turku and Ports of Stockholm said they have now laid a solid foundation for the green corridor project and developed a clear plan for a common way forward.

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Clear plan developed for Stockholm-Turku green shipping corridor

Viking Line, Port of Turku and Ports of Stockholm on Thursday (6 February) said they have now laid a solid foundation for a green shipping corridor project and developed a clear plan for a common way forward.

This comes after working together for a year on the project which aims to establish a green, fossil-free shipping corridor between Stockholm and Turku. 

On the anniversary on 6 February, the parties and a large number of invited stakeholders gathered for an open seminar in Turku, Finland. Results, experiences, challenges and opportunities were discussed based on the common goal of establishing a green maritime corridor between Stockholm and Turku by 2035.

Magdalena Bosson, CEO Ports of Stockholm, said: “We are very pleased with the cooperation and the work done during the first year.”

“We have been investing in onshore power supply infrastructure for ships for many years and Viking Line is one of the pioneers. Now we are further sharpening our goals together with the other parties to establish a fossil-free shipping corridor between Stockholm and Turku.”

Jan Hanses, CEO Viking Line, said: “We are proud to be part of this important co-operation project for a cleaner Baltic Sea. Our most significant investment so far is to offer all our passengers and freight customers biofuel for transport between Stockholm and Turku, reducing emissions for their journeys by 90%.”

“In addition, a possible battery installation and Elogrids, which reduces energy consumption, are important elements of our work in the coming years.”

Elogrids is a grid system installed on the ship's hull to reduce resistance and improve fuel efficiency. It optimises water flow and reduces turbulence, resulting in lower energy consumption.

Erik Söderholm, CEO Port of Turku, said: “A green shipping corridor gives us the opportunity to promote sustainable development and reduce the environmental impact of shipping.”

“During the past year, we have started more detailed planning of measures related to the green shipping corridor, such as updating our carbon footprint calculation and preparing for the development of charging stations for heavy traffic.”

During the first year, the parties have identified and prioritised the most important goals and measures to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in shipping. 

A clear project plan with activities has been developed, including:

Viking Line

  • Pre-study of battery installation on Viking Grace and Viking Glory
  • Installing Elogrids on the vessels
  • Increase sales of biogas supplements for transport between Stockholm and Turku

Port of Turku

  • Study and pilot project for onshore power supply at the quay
  • Zero emissions from Viking Line vessels at berth
  • Guidelines and incentives for port operators for zero emissions
  • In collaboration with external actors, develop concepts that link the green shipping corridor with sustainable transport from and to the port on land
  • Opportunity for shipping companies to bunker sustainable fuels

Ports of Stockholm

  • Zero emissions from Viking Line vessels at the quayside
  • In collaboration with external actors, develop concepts that link the green shipping corridor with sustainable transport from and to the port on land
  • Opportunity for shipping companies to bunker fossil-free fuels

 

Photo credit: Ports of Stockholm
Published: 7 February, 2025

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