Business

ENGINE: Europe & Africa Bunker Fuel Availability Outlook

Prompt VLSFO supply tight in Rotterdam; bunkering resumes at Las Palmas’ outer anchorage; refinery restart to boost South African VLSFO supply.

Published

3 years ago

May 25, 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:

24 May, 2023

Prompt VLSFO supply tight in Rotterdam
Bunkering resumes at Las Palmas’ outer anchorage
Refinery restart to boost South African VLSFO supply

Northwest Europe

Bunker supply is said to be normal in Rotterdam, but securing prompt delivery of VLSFO can be slightly difficult as some suppliers are running low on stocks, a source says. Availability of HSFO and LSMGO has improved in the last two weeks.

Independently held gasoil stocks in the ARA averaged 5% higher in the first three weeks of May than across April.

India emerged as the ARA’s top gasoil import source this month. Gasoil imports from the country have accounted for 25% of the region’s total so far this month, according to cargo tracker Vortexa.

Other gasoil import sources for the ARA were Saudi Arabia (16%), the UAE (14%), the US and Kuwait (7%).

Bunker fuel availability is said to be tight for prompt dates in Flushing.

Supply across all fuel grades is normal in the German port of Hamburg. Lead times of around 5-6 days are recommended for VLSFO, HSFO and LSMGO there, a source says.

Mediterranean

Bunker fuel availability is said to be normal in Gibraltar, but fixing prompt deliveries of HSFO can be slightly difficult, a source says. Lead times of 5-7 days are advised for good coverage from suppliers, the source adds. Recommended lead times for VLSFO and LSMGO are 4-6 days and 3-5 days out, respectively.

Meanwhile, VLSFO supply is under pressure for prompt delivery days in Algeciras, where one supplier is fully booked, according to a source. Supply of VLSFO and LSMGO grades is normal in Ceuta.

Minimal congestion was reported in Gibraltar, Algeciras and Ceuta on Wednesday, according to port agent MH Bland. One supplier in Gibraltar and two in Algeciras were behind schedule on Wednesday.

In Las Palmas, suppliers have resumed bunker deliveries at the port’s outer anchorage after being hampered by bad weather in the last few days, MH Bland says. The weather “seems suitable this week to take bunkers at outer anchorage,” the port agent adds.

Bunker operations are also running normally in the nearby port of Tenerife.

Bunker fuel supply across all grades is said to be normal in Malta. Some suppliers can offer deliveries for prompt dates off Malta, a source says.

Fixing prompt VLSFO stems can be difficult in the Greek port of Piraeus this week, but supply of other grades is normal, another source says.

Africa

Supply of VLSFO and LSMGO is said to be normal in Durban and Algoa Bay. However, stems require lead times of up to seven days in both locations, a source says.

Bunkering is progressing normally in Algoa Bay, according to Rennies Ships Agency. Strong winds and high swells are forecast to hit the bay in periods between Thursday and Friday, which could delay operations.

Availability of VLSFO is expected to improve in Cape Town and Richards Bay with the restart of Astron Energy’s refinery. The company’s nameplate 100,000 b/d refinery just north of Cape Town has recently resumed operations after being offline for nearly three years, Reuters reported. The refinery was shut down in 2020 after a major fire. The refinery used to produce VLSFO and other fuels for bunker supply in Cape Town and Richards Bay, a source says.

Prompt supply of VLSFO and LSMGO is said to be normal in Mozambique’s Nacala port. But VLSFO is tight for prompt delivery in Maputo, a source says.

By Shilpa Sharma

Photo credit and source: ENGINE
Published: 25 May, 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

20 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

20 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

20 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