Business

JLC China Bunker Market Monthly Report (April 2023)

Country sold about 1.50 million mt of bonded bunker fuel in the month, down by 86,300 mt or 5.43% from March, JLC’s data shows; fall in sales mainly due to decline in domestic supply.

Published

7 months ago

May 17, 2023

Admin

Beijing-based commodity market information provider JLC Network Technology Co. recently shared its JLC China Bunker monthly report for April 2023 with Manifold Times through an exclusive arrangement:

Bunker Fuel Demand

China’s bonded bunker fuel sales fall in April

China’s bonded bunker fuel sales fell in April, mainly due to a decline in domestic supply. The country sold about 1.50 million mt of bonded bunker fuel in the month, down by 86,300 mt or 5.43% from March, JLC’s data shows.

Specifically, the sales by Chimbusco and China ChangJiang Bunker (Sinopec) decreased to 520,000 mt and36,000 mt, down from 610,000 mt and 40,000 mt in the previous month respectively, while those by Sinopec Zhoushan increased to 550,000 mt, up from 530,000 mt. At the same time, SinoBunker sold 70,000 mt of bonded bunker fuel, stable month on month. Suppliers with regional bunkering licenses sold 327,700 mt, versus 340,000 mt in March.

Chinese refiners slashed their low-sulfur fuel oil (LSFO) output and maintained relatively low bonded bunker fuel imports in the month, leading to an intermittent disruption of bonded bunker fuel supply at certain domestic ports. However, some refiners raised high-sulfur fuel oil (HSFO) production when low-sulfur blendstocks were in short supply, which gave a boost to HSFO sales.

China’s bonded bunker fuel exports hit 14-month high in Mar

China’s bonded bunker fuel exports jumped to a 14-month high in March 2023 as domestic demand was still slow to recover, also because of relatively good export margins.

The country tallied about 2.07 million mt of bonded bunker fuel exports in the month, a sharp surge of 38.18% year on year, reversing a yearly plunge of 23.64% in January-February, JLC estimated, with reference to data from the General Administration of Customs of PRC (GACC).

On a month-on-month comparison, the exports grew by 28.23%.

Among these exports were 1.95 million mt of heavy bunker fuel and 114,000 mt of light bunker fuel, which accounted for 94.49% and 5.51% of the total.

Suppliers with national and regional bunkering licenses exported roughly 1.73 million mt and 340,000 mt of bonded bunker fuel, making up 83.56% and 16.44% respectively.

Though domestic bunker fuel demand was still relatively soft, certain refiners ramped up their LSFO production year on year in March, motivated by abundant export quotas and higher output targets. China produced about 1.34 million mt of LSFO in the month, a rise of 5.27% from a year earlier, JLC’s data shows.

In the first quarter of this year, the country exported approximately 5.00 million mt of bonded bunker fuel, a decline of 6.31% from the same quarter of 2022. Specifically, heavy bunker fuel exports totaled 4.75 million mt in the three months, accounting for 94.89%, and marine gas oil (MGO) exports amounted to 255,500 mt, occupying 5.11%.

Regarding the exports by supplier, enterprises with national licenses exported 4.13 million mt in the quarter, taking 82.67% and those with regional ones exported 866,600 mt, accounting for 17.33%. Sinopec Fuel Oil and Chimbusco were still the main suppliers in this period.

Domestic heavy bunker fuel demand contracts in April

Domestic-trade heavy bunker fuel demand contracted in April, as buyers expected bunker fuel prices to slipfurther amid a surplus of available ships. Domestic-trade heavy bunker fuel demand shrank to 330,000 mt in the month, down by 30,000 mt or 8.33%month on month.Although traders cut their bunker fuel prices to boost sales, downstream buyers still showedlow buying interest.

In contrast, domestic-trade light bunker fuel demand rose to about 140,000 mt, up by 5,000 mt or 3.70% from the previous month. Domestic-trade light bunker fuel consumption increased when marine gas oil prices remained on a downswing, but the increase was limited by bearish sentiment.

Bunker Fuel Supply

China records another low in bonded bunker fuel imports in Mar

China saw another record low in its bonded bunker fuel imports in March, as domestic bunkering demand stayed relatively soft and import costs were exorbitant. The country imported 175,600 mt of bonded bunker fuel in the month, a significant cutback of 26.62% month on month and 55.41% year on year, JLC estimated, with reference to data from the GeneralAdministration of Customs of PRC (GACC).

South Korea leaped to the top among all suppliers by exporting 109,600 mt of bonded bunker fuel to China, which accounted for about 62.44% of the latter’s total. Singapore came second with 61,900 mt, accounting for 35.23%, followed by Malaysia with 4,100 mt, making up 2.33%.

Chinese distributors still prioritized domestic low-sulfur bonded bunker resources when domestic bunker fuel prices were more competitive than imported ones. Meanwhile, excessive import costs continued to put pressure on importers, as freight rates for imported shipments remained high.

China’s bonded bunker fuel imports amounted to 632,500 mt in January-March, halving from 1.27 million mt in the same period of time in 2022, JLC estimated, based on data from GACC.

Buyers slashed their bonded bunker fuel imports in the first quarter of this year, because of tepid domestic demand and an increase in domestic low-sulfur fuel oil (LSFO) production. China produced roughly 3.80million mt of LSFO in the three months, up from 3.56 million mt in the same quarter of 2022, JLC’s data shows.

Domestic heavy bunker fuel supply tightens in April

Domestic-trade heavy bunker fuel supply tightened in April, as blenders cut production slightly when blend stocks were overpriced and end demand stayed relatively weak. Chinese blenders supplied about 350,000 mt of heavy bunker fuel in April, a cutback of 25,000 mt or 6.67% month on month, JLC’s data shows.

On the contrary, blenders supplied about 150,000 mt of marine gas oil (MGO) in the month, an increase of 10,000 mt or 7.14% from March, the data indicates.

Bunker Prices, Profits

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Sales (Beijing)
Tony Tang
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JLC Network Technology Co., Ltd is recognized as the leading information provider in China. We specialized in providing the transparent, high-value, authoritative market intelligence and professional analysis in commodity market. Our expertise covers oil, gas, coal, chemical, plastic, rubber, fertilizer and metal industry, etc.

JLC China Bunker Fuel Market Monthly Report is published by JLC Network Technology Co., Ltd every month on China bunker market, demand, supply, margin, freight index, forecast and so on. The report provides full-scale & concise insight into China bunker oil market.

Note: China-based commodity market information provider JLC Technology has been providing Singapore bunkering publication Manifold Times China bunker volume data since 2020. Data from that period is available here.

Photo credit: JLC Network Technology
Published: 18 May, 2023

Vessel Arrest

Malaysia: MMEA detains tanker for illegal anchoring in East Johor waters

Panama-registered vessel was operated by 17 crew members, aged between 21 to 58 years, from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh.

Published

22 hours ago

November 29, 2023

Admin

Malaysia: MMEA detains tanker for illegal anchoring in East Johor waters

The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) on Tuesday (28 November) said a Panama-registered tanker has been detained for illegally anchoring in East Johor waters on 27 November.

MMEA Tanjung Sedili Zone acting director Maritime Cmdr Mohd Najib Sam said the tanker was detained by a patrol boat at 11am at 15.8 nautical miles northeast of Tanjung Penawar.

The captain of the vessel failed to produce any documents that permission had been obtained to anchor in Malaysian waters.

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The vessel was operated by 17 crew members, aged between 21 to 58 years, from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh.

The case will be investigated under Section 491B(1)(L) of the Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1952 for anchoring without permission. If found guilty, individuals may be fined not exceeding MYR 100,000 or face an imprisonment term of not more than two years, or both.

Manifold Times previously reported law firm Oon & Bazul LLP sharing on steps shipowners should keep in mind before anchoring and conducting STS operations in Malaysian waters to avoid detention.

Photo credit: Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency
Published: 29 November, 2023

Alternative Fuels

DNV paper outlines bunkering of alternative marine fuels for boxships

Third edition of its paper series focuses on LNG, methanol and ammonia as alternative bunker fuel options for containerships; explores bunkering aspects for LNG and methanol.

Published

22 hours ago

November 29, 2023

Admin

DNV paper outlines bunkering of alternative marine fuels for boxships

Classification society DNV recently released the third edition of its paper series Alternative fuels for containerships, focused on LNG, methanol and ammonia as alternative bunker fuel options for containerships.

In its updated paper series, DNV examined the different alternative marine fuel options and provided an overview of the most important technical and commercial considerations for the containership sector.

It explored the bunkering technology for LNG, bunkering infrastructure for methanol, and availability and infrastructure of ammonia.

Building on the foundation laid in the second edition, which focused on the most important aspects of methanol as a fuel, this latest third edition delves deeper – exploring the technical intricacies and commercial considerations associated with adopting methanol as an alternative fuel for containerships.

Furthermore, it provides an overview of crucial aspects related to ammonia and discusses its potential as an alternative fuel for containerships.

Amongst others, the new edition of the paper looks at the following aspects:

Technical design considerations for methanol
Commercial implications of adopting methanol as an alternative fuel
Ammonia's potential as an alternative fuel
Availability, infrastructure and ship fuel technology for ammonia
Major updates based on the latest IMO GHG strategy decisions at the MEPC 80 meeting

Note: The third edition of DNV’s full paper titled Alternative Fuels for Containerships can be found here.

Photo credit: DNV
Published: 29 November, 2023

Alternative Fuels

EDF, LR and Arup launch tool scoring ports’ potential to produce and bunker electrofuels

Tool is also applied to three different port scenarios, including ports exploring fuel production and bunkering, ports exploring fuel exports, and ports exploring fuel imports and bunkering.

Published

22 hours ago

November 29, 2023

Admin

EDF, LR and Arup launch tool scoring ports’ potential to produce and bunker electrofuels

Lloyd’s Register (LR) Maritime Decarbonisation Hub and Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), in collaboration with Arup, on Tuesday (28 November) introduced the Sustainable First Movers Initiative Identification Tool, a system to help shipping stakeholders align investment decisions that support the maritime energy transition away from fossil fuels.

The tool, which is presented in a preliminary findings report – The Potential of Ports in Developing Sustainable First Movers Initiatives – scores a port’s potential to produce and bunker electrofuels while delivering local environmental and community benefits in alignment with the global temperature target of 1.5 degrees Celsius set by the Paris Agreement.

“Ports can play an important role in kickstarting shipping’s decarbonisation process even before global policies are established,” said Marie Cabbia Hubatova, Director, Global Shipping at Environmental Defense Fund.

“By considering the impact sustainable first mover initiatives can have on port-side communities, climate, environment and economies, resources can be better directed to locations where these initiatives will make the biggest difference.”

With close to two billion people living near coastal zones globally, the role of, and impacts on local port communities must be intentionally considered as the sector decarbonises globally. Ports can play a crucial role in ensuring shipping decarbonisation efforts are done in a way that has positive impacts on port communities.

The preliminary phase of the Sustainable First Movers Initiative Identification Tool analyses 108 ports in the Indo-Pacific region according to five criteria including land suitability, air quality, renewable energy surplus, economic resilience and ship traffic.

It is also applied to three different port scenarios, including ports exploring fuel production and bunkering, ports exploring fuel exports, and ports exploring fuel imports and bunkering. The combined criteria and scenario evaluation determines which ports have the greatest potential (high potential) for sustainable first mover initiatives to lead to significant emissions reductions and positive impacts in nearby communities, such as improved air quality and economic resilience.

“The transition to clean energy supply for shipping can be achieved only if stakeholders act together. Identifying potential port locations is the first step in this process,” said Dr Carlo Raucci, Consultant at Lloyd’s Register Maritime Decarbonisation Hub. “This approach sets the base for a regional sustainable transition that considers the impacts on port-side communities and the need to avoid regions in the Global South lagging behind.”

Regions in the Global South are fundamental in driving the decarbonisation of shipping. To make this transition effective, the rate at which different countries adopt and scale up electrofuels must be proportional to the difference in capital resources globally to avoid additional costs being passed on to local communities. Sustainable first mover initiatives can play an important role in making this happen by ensuring the sector’s decarbonisation is inclusive of all regions and by engaging all shipping stakeholders, including port-side communities.

“There’s a huge opportunity for early adopter shipping decarbonisation initiatives to unlock benefits for people and planet – shaping the way for a more equitable transition in the 2030s,” said Mark Button, Associate, Arup. “Our collective approach shows that taking a holistic view of shipping traffic, fuel production potential and port communities could help prioritise action at ports with the greatest near-term potential.”

The tool can be customised according to stakeholders’ needs and goals and is dependent on scenario desirability. The next phase of this work will include the selection and detailed assessment of 10 ports to help better understand local needs and maximise the value offered by sustainable first mover initiatives.

LR and EDF carried out a joint study on ammonia as shipping fuel, and LR and Arup have collaborated on The Resilience Shift study focused on fuel demand for early adopters in green corridors, ports, and energy systems, amongst many other projects.

Photo credit: Lloyd’s Register
Published: 29 November, 2023