Bunker Fuel Availability
ENGINE: Europe & Africa Bunker Fuel Availability
HSFO supply improves in northwest Europe; HSFO very tight in Gibraltar; Algoa Bay bunkering comes to a standstill.

Published
2 months agoon
By
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:
- HSFO supply improves in northwest Europe
- HSFO very tight in Gibraltar
- Algoa Bay bunkering comes to a standstill
Northwest Europe
HSFO availability is said to be normal in Rotterdam and the rest of the ARA, a source says. Availability of the high-sulphur grade has improved now, but securing stems on very prompt dates (0-2 days) can still be difficult, a trader says. Lead times of 5-7 days are recommended for grade to ensure full coverage from suppliers, a source says.
VLSFO has been in ample supply in the ARA hub, two sources say. Unlike HSFO, the low-sulphur grade is much easier to secure for prompt delivery dates.
Rotterdam’s Hi5 spread was pegged around $27/mt on Wednesday, which was only a third of where it was in June last year. It has been lingering below $50/mt for the past three months.
Some argue that production cuts from Saudi Arabia have reduced access to sour crude and supported HSFO prices in the ARA. This could contribute to keep the Hi5 spread from moving above $50/mt for the rest of the year, a trader says.
Lead times of 4-6 days are recommended for VLSFO, and 1-3 days for LSMGO in Rotterdam and in the wider ARA hub.
Availability of HSFO has shown signs of improvement in several northwest European ports, a source says. At least three suppliers in the German port of Hamburg have sufficient HSFO stocks available, the source adds. VLSFO and LSMGO supply is also good, with lead times of up to five days recommended in Hamburg.
VLSFO and LSMGO availability remains normal for delivery off Skaw. Recommended lead times for both grades are around 7-10 days.
Mediterranean
HSFO availability has been tight in Gibraltar since the start of the month. Two in three suppliers are almost out of stock, and expect replenishment cargoes to arrive by 6 October, a source says. One supplier has limited HSFO stocks available and can only deliver stems on a case-to-case basis. These are usually priced higher. The supplier expects to receive a replenishment cargo by 15 October.
Lead times of 7-12 days are recommended for HSFO in Gibraltar, up from 4-6 days last week. The port’s Hi5 spread momentarily slipped into rare negative territory on Tuesday, before flipping back to positive on Wednesday.
The narrowing of Gibraltar's Hi5 spread has diminished fuel cost savings against VLSFO for scrubber-fitted vessels. It could potentially dent HSFO sales in the port.
In nearby Las Palmas, the Hi5 spread has shrunk to just $8/mt. Its HSFO price was trading at near parity levels to Gibraltar on Wednesday, erasing its $36/mt premium over Gibraltar's HSFO in the past week.
Limited HSFO supply in the region has narrowed Hi5 spreads across several Mediterranean ports.
Prompt VLSFO and LSMGO availability is tight in Ceuta. One in two suppliers is fully committed for the remaining days left in this month, and the other supplier has its earliest delivery dates from 5 October. Meanwhile, availability of both grades is relatively better in Gibraltar and Algeciras. Lead times of 5-7 days are recommended there.
VLSFO and LSMGO availability is normal In the Portuguese ports of Lisbon and Sines, a source says. LSMGO availability is also good in the Spanish port of Tarragona, where one supplier can deliver the grade by trucks from 4 October.
Other bunker delivery locations in the Mediterranean such as off Malta, Piraeus and Istanbul have normal availability of VLSFO and LSMGO, sources say, while HSFO is tighter.
Africa
South African authorities have detained all bunker barges in Algoa Bay, two port agents have told ENGINE. This comes after the South African Revenue Service (SARS) detained five bunker barges over import duty disputes earlier this month. Since then, only one supplier has been able to operate its barges.
All operations have now been cancelled and all barges detained in the bay.
Offshore bunkering has completely stopped, one of the agents said. It seems that some backchannel talks are being held to resolve the crisis, but so far, no official confirmation has been made, the port agent added.
SARS has been conducting investigations into bunker compliance, and the bunker vessel detentions are part of an investigation, it said in a statement released last week. The South African authority has called the detentions “lawful” as the investigation is still ongoing.
By Nithin Chandran
Photo credit and source: ENGINE
Published: 28 September, 2023
Bunker Fuel Availability
ENGINE: East of Suez Bunker Fuel Availability Outlook (5 Dec 2023)
VLSFO availability tight in Singapore and Zhoushan; bunker fuel availability tight in Tokyo; VLSFO almost out of stock in Omani ports.

Published
8 hours agoon
December 6, 2023By
Admin
The following article regarding regional bunker fuel availability outlook for the East of Suez region has been provided by online marine fuels procurement platform ENGINE for publication on Singapore bunkering publication Manifold Times:
- VLSFO availability tight in Singapore and Zhoushan
- Bunker fuel availability tight in Tokyo
- VLSFO almost out of stock in Omani ports
Singapore
Prompt VLSFO availability remains super tight in Singapore. Recommended lead times for the grade range up to 12-16 days. Several suppliers need more than seven days to deliver VLSFO stems in Singapore, a trader says.
At least seven bunker suppliers in Singapore are currently facing tight delivery schedules, a source claims.
HSFO availability also remains tight for both prompt and non-prompt delivery dates in Singapore. Lead times of 14-15 days are recommended for the grade. The grade is even more difficult to secure for stem size of below 500 mt, partly because only a few suppliers can offer them and these are typically priced at steep premiums, a source explains.
LSMGO availability is relatively better than the other two grades in Singapore. Shorter lead times of around five days are recommended for smaller stems, while lead times of more than seven days are recommended for larger stems, a source says.
According to Enterprise Singapore, the port’s residual fuel oil stocks averaged 1% lower in November than in October. Fuel oil imports declined by 20% in November and to their lowest level since May. Fuel oil exports also fell by 22% last month.
Fuel oil cargoes into Singapore primarily arrived from Russia (23% of the total imports), followed by Brazil (10%) and Malaysia (9%) in November, according to cargo tracker Vortexa data.
The port’s middle distillate stocks, however, surged 12% in November.
China, East Asia and Oceania
VLSFO availability remains tight for both prompt and non-prompt delivery dates in Zhoushan. Lack of inflows of VLSFO replenishment cargoes has tightened the supply of the grade there, a source says. Several suppliers are running low on stocks and have refrained from providing lead times. Deliveries of the grade remain subject to enquiries.
In contrast, HSFO and LSMGO availability is normal in the Chinese bunker hub. Lead times of 3-5 days are recommended for HSFO, and 2-4 days for LSMGO.
In northern China, VLSFO and LSMGO supply is good in Dalian. In Tianjin, VLSFO availability is good, but LSMGO and HSFO supply is tight, with deliveries subject to enquiries. In Qingdao, prompt VLSFO and LSMGO availability is limited, and HSFO availability is also subject to enquiry.
VLSFO and LSMGO availability is tight for prompt delivery dates in the southern Chinese ports of Shanghai and Xiamen. HSFO availability is under pressure in Shanghai, as it has been in recent weeks.
Bunker fuel availability is normal in Hong Kong. Lead times of 5-7 days are recommended for all grades in the port, a source says.
Lead times for VLSFO deliveries varied widely between 5-12 days in southern ports in South Korea. Meanwhile, one supplier is able to supply the grade for prompt delivery dates. HSFO requires lead times of 5-10 days.
Bunker fuel availability is normal in western ports in South Korea, where lead times of five days are recommended.
Availability has tightened for all grades in the Japanese port of Tokyo. Lead times of 10-12 days are generally recommended there, up from seven days last week. One Japanese refinery is experiencing delays at one of the product loadings/unloading berths, which has resulted in tight bunker fuel availability in Tokyo, a source says.
Most suppliers in Japan will likely accept new bunker orders until 21 December, before the Christmas and New Year holidays, the source added.
Adverse weather conditions are forecast to hit the Kiwi port of Tauranga on Thursday, which could impact bunkering there.
South Asia
All grades remain in normal availability in India’s Mumbai port. One supplier can supply the grades with lead times of up to two days.
Cyclone Michaung over the southwest Bay of Bengal Sea and the adjoining areas could impact port operations in Bangladesh, according to GAC Hot Port News. Cyclone warning has also been issued in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu in India. Strong wind gusts of 24 knots are forecast to hit India’s east coast port Visakhapatnam on Tuesday, which could impact bunker operations in the port.
Middle East
Prompt availability remains tight in the UAE port of Fujairah. Lead times of 9-10 days are generally recommended for all bunker fuel grades in the port, slightly up from 7-10 days in the previous week. Bunker demand has been robust in Fujairah, resulting in further tightened supply there, a source says.
VLSFO is almost out of stock in most Omani ports. One major Omani supplier has taken a VLSFO bunker tanker offline because of low demand for the grade and high barge operating costs. This has increased supply pressure on the grade there, a trader says. The grade is only available in the southern port of Salalah in Oman.
LSMGO availability is normal across most Omani ports, including Sohar and Salalah. Lead times of 1-2 days are generally recommended in Sohar.
By Nithin Chandran
Photo credit and source: ENGINE
Published: 6 December, 2023
Bunker Fuel Availability
ENGINE: Americas Bunker Fuel Availability Outlook (30 Nov 2023)
Slow demand in several Americas ports; fog season hits US Gulf Coast bunkering; prompt availability tight in Santos.

Published
5 days agoon
December 1, 2023By
Admin
The following article regarding bunker fuel availability in the Americas region has been provided by online marine fuel procurement platform ENGINE for post on Singapore bunkering publication Manifold Times:
- Slow demand in several Americas ports
- Fog season hits US Gulf Coast bunkering
- Prompt availability tight in Santos
North America
Demand for all grades has mostly dropped across major bunkering ports in the Americas. But Houston has seen a jump in enquiries for all grades this week. While prompt VLSFO and LSMGO availability was reported tight at the beginning of this week, it returned to normal levels in the port as the week progressed. Lead times of 3-4 days are recommended for both grades. One supplier can offer HSFO stems with 4-5 days of lead time.
Prompt supply of VLSFO and LSMGO is normal in Bolivar Roads. Several suppliers can deliver both grades with 2-5 days of lead times. Similarly, the availability of fuel grades in Beaumont has been good this week.
Bunkering was suspended in the Galveston Offshore Lightering Area (GOLA) and off Corpus Christi in the US Gulf Coast on Thursday due to strong gale-force wind gusts of up 47 knots in the region. Calmer weather is forecast from Friday evening, which could allow bunkering to resume.
A moderate to high risk of fog and reduced visibility is forecast around Corpus Christi, Lake Charles, Port Arthur, Galveston and Freeport from Thursday, which could delay vessel traffic around the region and through the Houston Ship Channel until Sunday, Norton Lilly says.
The channel is a key waterway for vessels going in and out of ports in the Houston area, including Galveston, Baytown and Texas City.
Similarly, a high risk of fog and reduced visibility is also forecast at the New Orleans Outer Anchorage (NOLA). A supplier said they can deliver VLSFO and HSFO stems within three days of lead time if the weather permits.
Availability of VLSFO and LSMGO is good in the West Coast ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Several suppliers can deliver both grades with 5-7 days of lead times. However, demand has been extremely low in both ports this week.
VLSFO and LSMGO availability is said to be normal in the East Coast port of New York. Securing HSFO in the port can be difficult for prompt dates. One supplier is unable to offer fuel grades for both prompt and non-prompt dates in New York.
Caribbean and Latin America
The ongoing drought in Panama has led to increased transit delays through the channel, impacting the demand for bunkers in the region. As a result, many shipowners are opting to lift bunkers at alternative ports in the Caribbean region due to the delays in the Panama Canal.
Despite the slowdown in vessel traffic, some suppliers are offering stems with lead times of 5-7 days in the Panamanian ports of Balboa and Cristobal.
VLSFO and LSMGO availability is good for prompt dates off Trinidad and in Jamaica’s Kingston.
Bunker operations have been running smoothly in Argentina’s Zona Comun anchorage so far this week. Availability of VLSFO and LSMGO is normal in Zona Comun. Overall, bunker demand has been muted at the anchorage this week.
Strong winds of up to 31 knots are forecast to hit the region on Friday, which could disrupt bunkering at the anchorage.
Prompt VLSFO and LSMGO availability is tight in Brazil’s biggest port – Santos. Lead times can stretch out to the second week of December, a trader says. Bunker fuel availability appears to be normal in other Brazilian ports like Rio Grande, Rio de Janeiro and Salvador.
By Debarati Bhattacharjee
Photo credit and source: ENGINE
Published: 1 December, 2023
Bunker Fuel Availability
Baltic Exchange: Bunker Report (30 November, 2023)
Bunker fuel prices for most grades / locations are more or less inline with last week, moving only a few percentage points up or down; Singapore specifically should be booked two weeks in advance.

Published
5 days agoon
December 1, 2023By
Admin
The following bunker report has been provided by freight market information provider Baltic Exchange for post on Singapore bunkering publication Manifold Times:
Commentary:
Bunker fuel prices for most grades / locations are more or less inline with last week, moving only a few percentage points up or down. Availability in Singapore has eased up a bit but still a bit thin compared to other areas. Singapore specifically should be booked two weeks in advance, and both Fujairah and Khor Fakkan also showing somewhat limited availability in the first half of December.
Note:
All values are in US$/metric ton, all-in (invoice price), delivered on board
Delivery in 7-10 days
ISO 8217:2010
IFO 380 3.5% Sulphur
IFO 380 0.5% Sulphur
DMA 0.1% Sulphur
Rotterdam – Waalhaven – Maasvlakte range
Houston – Houston Harbor
Singapore – Anchorage, under SBA Scheme
Fujairah – Offshore Anchorage Area
Submitted weekly at Close of Business on Thursdays
Panellists:
Island Oil Limited, Cockett Marine Oil Pte, Monjasa A/S, KPI OceanConnect, Transparensea Fuels
Photo credit and source: Baltic Exchange
Published: 24 November, 2023

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