Once a week, bunker intelligence platform ENGINE will publish a snapshot of alternative and conventional bunker fuel prices in the world’s two biggest bunkering hubs. The following is the latest snapshot:

• B100 nears parity with VLSFO in Rotterdam
• LBM $6/mt cheaper than HSFO for vessels with diesel SS engines
• Singapore’s LNG price jumps by $90/mt

Conventional fuel prices have risen at both Rotterdam and Singapore over the past week while B100 and Rotterdam’s B30 blends have fallen, handing the fuels that are favoured by EU regulations back much of the ground they lost last week. Four spreads have flipped outright, two at each port.

B100’s premium over VLSFO in Rotterdam has narrowed by $42/mt to $10/mt, leaving the two fuels within touching distance. Its premium over HSFO has narrowed by $71/mt to $107/mt.

The OceanScore FuelEU pooling index held flat this week, after last week’s €12.85/mtCO2e drop, so the compliance side of the move came from a rise in Dec26 EUA prices. ENGINE-assessed pooling values for B100 still rose $2/mt on EU-EU voyages, driven by a firmer euro.

B100’s discount to LSMGO in Rotterdam has widened by $61/mt to $523/mt.

In Singapore the pattern holds, but the gaps are wider. B100’s premium over VLSFO has narrowed by $24/mt to $298/mt, and its discount to LSMGO has widened by $11/mt to $42/mt.

Rotterdam’s B30-VLSFO has flipped from a $15/mt premium over VLSFO to a $23/mt discount, while B30-LSMGO’s discount to LSMGO has widened by $44/mt to $138/mt.

Rotterdam’s liquefied biomethane (LBM) has moved further. For vessels with diesel slow-speed (diesel SS) engines, it has flipped from a $16/mt premium over HSFO to a $6/mt discount, making it the cheapest fuel in the set on an EU-EU voyage. Its discount to VLSFO has narrowed by $7/mt to $103/mt.

For vessels with Otto medium-speed (Otto MS) engines, the position is less favourable, with methane slip both lifting the EUA bill and eroding the compliance surplus. LBM’s premium over VLSFO has widened by $10/mt to $66/mt, and its premium over B100 has widened by $52/mt to $56/mt, although the two fuels typically cater to different vessel types and are not directly comparable.

Rotterdam’s LBM holds discounts to LSMGO of $467-636/mt depending on engine type, $9-12/mt wider than a week earlier.

LNG has lost ground at both ports. Its premium over VLSFO in Rotterdam has widened by $43-46/mt to $182-343/mt depending on engine type, and in Singapore the premium over VLSFO for vessels with Otto MS engines has widened by $75/mt to $353/mt.

Singapore’s LNG has moved enough to turn two spreads around. For vessels with Otto MS engines, it has flipped from a $74/mt discount to a $14/mt premium over LSMGO, and B100 has swung from a $43/mt premium over LNG to a $56/mt discount, though again the two are not directly comparable.

For vessels with diesel SS engines, LNG holds its discount to LSMGO, but that has narrowed by $86/mt to $67/mt.

Liquid fuels

Rotterdam’s conventional fuel prices have gained $24-53/mt over the past week, with HSFO up the most. The port’s B100 price has fallen by $18/mt and its B30 grades by $1-14/mt.

The Dutch ZRE A price has remained unchanged at €130/mtCO2e over the past week.

Fuel availability has been tight for prompt supplies in the ARA, with buyers advised lead times of 5-7 days to get good coverage from suppliers, a trader said.

Singapore’s HSFO and VLSFO prices have gained $38/mt and $16/mt respectively, while LSMGO has edged up $3/mt. B100 has fallen by $8/mt.

Prompt bunker availability is tight in Singapore across all three main conventional grades. Suppliers are quoting lead times of about 4-9 days for LSMGO, 7-19 days for good VLSFO cover and 6-12 days indicatively for HSFO, a trader said.

The gains came as front-month ICE Brent futures rose by $3.73/bbl ($27/mt) to $92.78/bbl ($680/mt), while Dec26 EUA prices rose by $3.41/mtCO2e to $98.28/mtCO2e, adding to the compliance cost of every fossil grade.

Liquid gases

Rotterdam’s LNG prices have gained $67-70/mt depending on engine type, and the port’s LBM prices $31-34/mt.

LBM’s discount to LNG in Rotterdam has widened by $36/mt to $277-285/mt over the past week.

Singapore’s LNG prices have jumped by $89-90/mt, the largest weekly move of any fuel at either port.

By Erik Hoffmann

Photo credit and source: ENGINE
Published: 25 August, 2026

The US could support an International Maritime Organization (IMO) net-zero framework (NZF) that recognises LNG and bio-LNG as qualifying fuels, Federal Maritime Commission chairman Laura DiBella said, signalling Washington’s possible position for the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) extraordinary session in December 2026.

22 August 2026

The statement suggests the US could work with a revised NZF rather than oppose any global framework for cutting shipping emissions. This could ease market concerns that Washington might reject all versions of the framework and obstruct the IMO’s attempt to advance maritime decarbonization. Any viable version of the IMO’s NZF must allow the “maximum range” of alternative fuels, including LNG and bio-LNG, DiBella said in a statement.

“Efforts toward emissions reductions must be linked explicitly to demonstrated viability and realistic availability of alternative fuels, not a pre-determined, rigid implementation date or limited fuel options,” she said. Alternative fuels must meet agreed criteria for affordability, global availability and scalability, while conventional and transitional fuels should remain in use, she added.

The US has opposed the NZF in its current form, arguing that it could impose high costs on shipping, energy producers and consumers, while favoring expensive fuels that have not shown sufficient availability or commercial viability.

A US submission ahead of the IMO’s MEPC 84th session in late April in London called for an approach without carbon taxes, fuel-type restrictions or penalties against existing propulsion technologies. But DiBella’s comments show conditions under which US concerns could be addressed, with LNG and bio-LNG at the core of that position.

Discussions on emissions cuts must include both fuels, which could “realistically supply over 60pc of global maritime fuel by 2050”, DiBella said. Bio-LNG can use existing LNG infrastructure and serve the expanding fleet of LNG-fuelled vessels, avoiding some costs of building a new fuel supply chain, she added.

A global fuel standard could also provide long-term demand certainty to support investment and expand bio-LNG supply, particularly in the US, DiBella said. The policy challenge, therefore, is not to abandon alternative fuels because future demand may increase their price, but rather it is to design a framework that allows supply and infrastructure investment to grow alongside demand, she said.

The US is the world’s largest natural gas producer and LNG exporter. US dry gas output rose by more than 4pc to a record 39 trillion ft³ in 2025, while LNG exports increased from around 500mn ft³/d in 2016 to 15bn ft³/d last year

The US Energy Information Administration expects exports to exceed 18.1bn ft³/d in 2027, supported by new liquefaction capacity.

The IMO approved the NZF at MEPC 83 in April 2025, including a global marine fuel standard and a greenhouse gas emissions pricing mechanism. But members adjourned the extraordinary MEPC session on formal adoption in October 2025 and agreed to reconvene after 12 months to allow more time to build consensus.

By Gabriel Tassi Lara

Photo credit and source: Argus Media
Published: 24 August, 2026

Maran Tankers Management, part of Greek shipping company Angelicoussis Group, on Thursday (20 August) announced the delivery of MARAN MYRSINI, the fourth LNG dual-fuel Suezmax oil tanker in its series.

The 155,500 DWT vessel was built by New Times Shipbuilding Co Ltd and sails under the Greek Flag. 

The vessel’s delivery marked another important step in the continued expansion of Maran Tankers’ modern and energy-efficient fleet.

“MARAN MYRSINI incorporates an optimised hull form, advanced energy-saving devices, efficient BOG management, and a shaft generator arrangement, contributing to lower fuel consumption and improved operational performance,” the company said in a social media post. 

“We sincerely thank everyone involved in her successful construction and delivery, wishing MARAN MYRSINI and her crew fair winds and calm seas.” 

Photo credit: Angelicoussis Group
Published: 24 August, 2026