Business

ENGINE: Europe & Africa Bunker Fuel Availability Outlook

VLSFO and HSFO supply tight in the ARA; availability normal in Gibraltar; bad weather limits bunkering in Algeciras and Ceuta.

Published

3 years ago

April 20, 2023

Admin

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:

19 April 2023

VLSFO and HSFO supply tight in the ARA
Availability normal in Gibraltar
Bad weather limits bunkering in Algeciras and Ceuta

Northwest Europe

VLSFO and HSFO availability is tight in the ARA hub, partly because of product shortages in refineries. Shell’s Pernis refinery near Rotterdam is currently undergoing scheduled three-month maintenance, which is set to finish on 1 May. Around 200,000 b/d of crude distillation unit capacity has been offline.

Recommended lead times for VLSFO and HSFO are about 5-7 days. HSFO lead times can be even longer due to product loading delays at terminals. Loading delays of 2-4 days have been reported at some terminals in recent weeks, a source says.

Meanwhile, independently held fuel oil stocks in the ARA have been steady so far this month, while imports have come down from March.

Poland emerged as the top source for the ARA’s fuel oil imports in the first two weeks of this month, going by the cargo tracker Vortexa data shows. Fuel oil imports from Poland accounted for 23% of the region’s total imports. Other fuel oil import sources were Denmark (16%), Finland (14%), Mexico (13%) and Angola (10%).

Availability of VLSFO and LSMGO is said to be normal for prompt delivery off Skaw, a source says. Delivery prospects for HSFO are still subject to enquiries, the source adds.

In Germany’s Hamburg, VLSFO and LSMGO supply is said to be normal, requiring lead times of around 5-6 days, a source says. Overall bunker demand has been slow there.

Mediterranean

VLSFO and LSMGO deliveries can be secured for prompt dates in Gibraltar, a source says. HSFO requires lead times of at least three days. Strong winds of up to 30 knots are forecast to hit Gibraltar on Wednesday evening, which could complicate deliveries. However, the weather is expected to improve from Thursday.

No congestion was reported in Gibraltar on Wednesday.

Peninsula has added a new bunker delivery vessel Hercules Sky in Gibraltar. Hercules Sky will be used to deliver conventional marine fuels stems in Gibraltar Strait ports along with biofuel blends.

Bunkering at Algeciras’ outer port limit (OPL) and outer Delta anchorage has been suspended since Monday due to rough weather conditions, port agent MH Bland says. Bunker operations at Ceuta’s anchorage have also been suspended since Monday, while deliveries at the port’s more sheltered berth area are running smoothly.

VLSFO and LSMGO availability is normal in Portugal’s Lisbon and Sines, a source says. Recommended lead times are about 5-6 days.

Bunker fuel availability is normal in Malta. Some suppliers can offer deliveries for prompt dates off Malta, a source says.

No congestion was reported off Malta on Wednesday, Seatrans Shipping agency says. Eight vessels were scheduled to arrive for bunkers in and off Malta on Wednesday, Seatrans adds.

LSMGO availability is said to be normal in Greece’s Piraeus port. Prompt deliveries are subject to supplier schedules, a trader says.

Africa

Supply of VLSFO and LSMGO is said to be normal in Durban and Algoa Bay. However, securing prompt deliveries are still difficult and stems require lead times of up to seven days.

Bunkering is currently running smoothly in Algoa Bay. But strong winds and swells are forecast to hit the bay from Thursday, which could hamper bunker operations. Nine vessels are due to arrive for bunkers in Port Elizabeth and Algoa Bay over the course of the rest of the week, Rennies says.

Bunker operations are running smoothly in Mozambique’s Nacala and Maputo ports. Supply of VLSFO and LSMGO is said to be normal in Nacala, a source says. Availability of the two grades is tight in Maputo, the source adds.

By Nithin Chandran

Photo credit and source: ENGINE
Published: 20 April, 2023

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

17 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

17 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

17 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