Singapore March Marine Fuel Sales Recover After February Low
Marine fuel sales in Singapore, the world's largest bunker hub, improved in March after hitting a 20-month low in February, official data showed on Monday.
Volumes totalled 4.47 million metric tons, climbing 7.8% month-on-month and inching up 0.5% year on year, data from Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) showed.
Sales improved amid a recovery in vessel calls and container throughput, as well as aggressive selling of low-sulphur marine fuel.
Vessel calls for bunkering rebounded 14.5% at 3,522 calls, while monthly container throughput hit multi-year highs, climbing 12.6% to 3.74 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs).
Sales of the mainstay 0.5% low-sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) grade rose 12.9% to 2.33 million tons in March. Aggressive selling had pressured bunker premiums and spurred more spot purchases, some market sources said.
Meanwhile, high-sulphur marine fuel (MFO) volumes were broadly stable at 1.62 million tons, while total marine gasoil sales gained 6.0% to 333,600 tons.
Sales of alternative fuels strengthened, with marine biofuel volumes logging a fresh high and breaching 145,000 tons, while liquefied natural gas sales were also higher month-on-month.
Countries at the International Maritime Organization struck a deal last week on a global fuel emissions standard for the maritime sector that will impose an emissions fee on ships that breach it and reward vessels burning cleaner fuels.
Total | MGO | LSMGO | MFO | Bio-blended MFO | LSFO | Bio-blended LSFO | ULSFO | B100 | LNG | |
Jan-25 | 4,461.7 | 3.1 | 256.5 | 1,655.3 | 16.0 | 2,431.3 | 92.0 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 6.6 |
Feb-25 | 4,145.1 | 8.9 | 305.7 | 1,624.4 | 22.1 | 2,065.1 | 85.0 | 0.0 | 3.8 | 30.0 |
Mar-25 * | 4,469.2 | 0.1 | 333.5 | 1,618.6 | 51.9 | 2,331.9 | 93.7 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 39.0 |
(Data from Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore)
(Figures are based on latest available data and may be subject to revision at a later date, based on MPA.)
(Reuters)
