Marine fuel global weekly market update

Market: Biofuels, E-fuels, Fertilizers, Hydrogen, Natural gas, Oil products, Petrochemicals
26/05/23

A weekly Argus news digest of interest to the conventional and alternative marine fuel markets. To speak to our team about accessing the stories below and access to Argus Marine Fuels, please contact: marinefuels@argusmedia.com.

Alternative marine fuels

26 May French biodiesel imports continue to rise French biodiesel imports hit a new record in …

26 May Ecopetrol plans to hike H2 output by 2040 Colombia's state-controlled oil company Ecopetrol plans to produce ...

26 May Hydrogen-powered vessel enters NW Europe service Netherlands-based shipowner Future Proof Shipping (FPS) launched its hydrogen-powered, zero-emissions …

25 May TotalEnergies says HVO not for marine fuel sector The bunker sector is unlikely to adopt hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) in marine fuel blends, because …

25 May ExxonMobil to supply B30 in ARA ExxonMobil has signed an agreement to supply Hapag-Lloyd vessels with B30 marine fuel in the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) region.

25 May Spanish biodiesel feedstock patterns shift Demand patterns for biodiesel and hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) feedstocks in Spain are shifting as …

25 May Still waiting for zero-emission vessels: Study A recent report by governments trying to support zero-emissions ocean shipping found there were still no …

25 May Cruise giant Carnival picked LNG to cut particulates Cruise line operator Carnival Corporation said today that it has backed LNG over other alternative fuels as it …

25 May Singapore eyes growing role in alternative marine fuels Singapore is looking to play a bigger role in the alternative marine fuels industry, ahead of the …

25 May Charter practices reward fuel inefficiency: Report Underlying principles in most marine standard charter party terms reward fuel inefficiency …

25 May Cepsa expands waste feedstock sources for biofuels Spanish integrated energy firm Cepsa and Spanish association of co-operatives Agro-Alimentarias will work together to identify…

24 May China' methanol prices sink on weak demand, oversupply Chinese methanol prices have sunk to a more than two-year low, under pressure from persistently …

24 May Florida's Jaxport, Eagle LNG grow bunkering ambitions Higher LNG production capacity at US firm Eagle LNG's Maxville small-scale LNG production facility, alongside more …

24 May Spanish firm eyes green ammonia in Brazil's Piaui Spanish solar energy company Solatio plans to develop two renewable ammonia production plants in the northeast Brazilian state of Piaui that could together produce …

24 May Spanish biodiesel exports hit record high in 1Q Spanish biodiesel exports are rising further with shipments leaving Spain at a record pace in the first quarter of this year.

24 May Norwegian biofuels blending down in 2022 Blending of biofuels in Norway's transport sector fell by 55mn litres to …

24 May Dual-fuel engines to spur investment in 'greener' ships The implementation of dual-fuel engines in ships should encourage investment to build "greener vessels", according to …

24 May TotalEnergies buys 20pc of biogas start-up Ductor TotalEnergies has bought a 20pc stake in Finnish-based biogas start-up Ductor and will work with it to co-develop between 15 and 20 anaerobic digestion facilities to produce …

23 May BarMalGas to develop Germany's Rostock LNG German fuel distributor BarMalGas has taken over the Rostock LNG project and has scheduled construction to begin …

23 May NWE biofuels demand from scrubberless vessels to rise Vessels traveling in EU territorial waters without scrubbers next year may start using more biofuels …

23 May Spain's Ignis plans 850,000 t/yr green ammonia plant Spanish renewables firm Ignis plans to develop a €1bn ($1.08bn) green ammonia plant with capacity to produce …

23 May Trafigura sees potential for H2 derivatives in shipping Green hydrogen derivatives offer a more viable alternative to conventional bunkers than biofuels…

23 May Titan supplies LNG to ship in Kiel first Dutch small-scale LNG firm Titan completed the first ship-to-ship transfer in the German port of Kiel to a …

23 May Japan's MHI, Nihon Shipyard partner for LCO2 carrier Japanese engineering firm Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) and Nihon Shipyard have started a study for joint development of an ocean-going liquefied carbon dioxide (LCO2) carrier.

23 May China exports less biodiesel, UCO in April China's biodiesel exports fell by 17pc from 215,000t in March to …

22 May China's Dalian begins work on LNG-fuelled ship China's Dalian Shipbuilding Industry (DSIC) has begun work on a new dual-fuel container vessel, while another …

Conventional marine fuels

26 May Petrobras loses ground to diesel imports in April Diesel produced in Brazil ceded ground to imports in April, as …

26 May Singapore's gasoil imports poised to rebound in May Singapore's gasoil imports are on course to rebound in May from …

26 May Japan to end oil product subsidy in September Japan's trade and industry ministry (Meti) will end its oil product subsidy at the end of September, in consideration of …

26 May Fire extinguished on Shell bitumen barge A Shell-chartered bitumen barge caught fire in the early hours of Friday at …

25 May Singapore fuel oil stocks fall to over nine-month lows Singapore's onshore fuel oil stocks fell for a seventh consecutive week to over …

25 May Diesel demand sinks again in Italy Italian diesel and gasoil consumption slowed by 7pc month on month in …

25 May Nigerian diesel prices fall ahead of Dangote production Nigerian automotive gas oil (AGO) prices have fallen in recent days as the sooner than expected start-up of the 650,000 b/d Dangote refinery added to the …

26 May UK refinery output declined on lower demand in April Total refinery output in the UK fell by 17pc in April from March, according to …

23 May Monjasa bunker sales at record high Danish marine fuel trading and supply firm Monjasa's global bunker sales reached a record high …

23 May PetroPeru offers fuel oil tender for June State-owned PetroPeru will accept offers for one high-sulphur residual fuel oil (HSFO) cargo …

23 May Shipowner Navigator Gas' profits slip in 1Q New-York listed LPG Shipowner Navigator Gas' profits declined on the year in …

22 May Asian LSFO markets to ease further with rising inflows Singapore low-sulphur fuel oil (LSFO) margins rose to three-month highs last week on …

22 May Tight market supports HSFO margins in Europe Rising demand and tight supply are bolstering high-sulphur fuel oil margins in northwest Europe.

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News

16/05/25

US House panel votes down Republican megabill

Washington, 16 May (Argus) — A key committee in the US House of Representatives voted today to reject a massive budget bill backed by President Donald Trump, as far-right conservatives demanded deeper cuts to clean energy tax credits and social spending programs. The House Budget Committee failed to pass the budget reconciliation bill in a 16-21 vote, with four House Freedom Caucus members — Ralph Norman (R-South Carolina), Chip Roy (R-Texas), Josh Brecheen (R-Oklahoma) and Andrew Clyde (R-Georgia) — voting no alongside Democrats. A fifth Republican voted no for procedural reasons. The failed vote will force Republicans to consider major changes to the bill before it comes up for a vote on the House floor as early as next week. Republican holdouts say the bill would fall short of their party's promises to cut the deficit, particularly because it would front-load increased spending and back-load cuts. The bill is set to add $3.3 trillion to the deficit, or $5.2 trillion if temporary provisions were permanent, according to estimates from the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. Some critics of the bill said the proposed cut of $560bn in clean energy tax credits is not enough, because the bill would retain some tax credits for new wind and solar projects. "A lot of these credits have been in existence for 30 or 40 years, and you talk about giveaways, we want to help those who really need help," Norman said ahead of his no vote. "That's the heart of this. Sadly, I'm a no until we get this ironed out." Negotiations will fall to House speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana), who can only lose three votes when the bill comes up for a vote by the full House. But stripping away more of the energy tax credits enacted in the Inflation Reduction Act could end up costing Johnson votes among moderates. More than a dozen Republicans on 14 May asked to pare back newly proposed restrictions on the remaining clean energy tax credits. Ahead of the failed vote, Trump had pushed Republicans to support what he calls the "Big Beautiful Bill". In a social media post, he said "Republicans MUST UNITE" in support of the bill and said the party did not need "GRANDSTANDERS". The failed vote has parallels to the struggles that Democrats had in 2021 before the implosion of their push to pass their sprawling "Build Back Better" bill, which was later revived as the Inflation Reduction Act. Republicans say they will work over the weekend on a compromise. The House Budget Committee has scheduled another hearing at 10pm on 18 May to attempt to vote again on the budget package, but any changes to the measure would occur later, through an amendment released before the bill comes up for a vote on the House floor. By Chris Knight Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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News

Trump says US will soon set new tariff rates

16/05/25

News

16/05/25

Trump says US will soon set new tariff rates

Washington, 16 May (Argus) — The US will unilaterally set new tariff rates on imports from select trading partners instead of holding negotiations over import tax levels, President Donald Trump said today. In the next 2-3 weeks "we'll be telling people what they will be paying to do business in the US," Trump told a group of US and UAE business executives in Abu Dhabi today. Trump contended that more than 150 US trading partners have expressed interest in negotiating with his administration, adding that "you're not able to see that many countries." Trump's administration since 5 April imposed a 10pc baseline tariff on imports from nearly every US trading partner — with the notable exception of Canada, Mexico and Russia. Trump paused his so-called "reciprocal tariffs" until 8 July, nominally to give his administration time to negotiate with foreign countries subject to those punitive rates. The reciprocal tariffs would have added another 10pc on top of his baseline tariff for imports from the EU, while the cumulative rate would have been as high as 69pc on imports from Vietnam. Trump in April suggested that 200 deals with foreign trade partners were in the works. Treasury secretary Scott Bessent has said the US is only negotiating with the top 18 trading partners. The trade "deals" clinched by the Trump administration so far merely set out terms of negotiations for agreements to be negotiated at a later date. The US-UK preliminary deal would keep the US tariff rate on imports from the UK at 10pc, while providing a quota for UK-manufactured cars and, possibly, for steel and aluminum. The US-UK document, concluded on 9 May, explicitly states that it "does not constitute a legally binding agreement." The US-China understanding, reached on 12 May, went further by rolling back some of the punitive tariff rates but left larger trade issues to be resolved at a later date. The Trump administration would keep in place a 20pc extra tariff imposed on imports from China in February-March and a 10pc baseline reciprocal tariff imposed in April. The US will pause its additional 24pc reciprocal tariff on imports from China until 10 August. Conversely, China will keep in place tariffs of 10-15pc on US energy commodity imports that it imposed on 4 February, and 10-15pc tariffs on US agricultural imports, imposed in March. It will maintain a 10pc tariff on all imports from the US that was imposed in April, but will pause an additional 24pc tariff on all US imports until 10 August. These rates are on top of baseline import tariffs that the US and China were charging before January 2025. By Haik Gugarats Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

News

Kuwait's Kufpec gets OK to develop Indonesian gas field

16/05/25

News

16/05/25

Kuwait's Kufpec gets OK to develop Indonesian gas field

Singapore, 16 May (Argus) — Kuwait's Kufpec, a unit of state-owned KPC, has won approval from the Indonesian government for a plan of development for the Anambas gas field located in the West Natuna Sea offshore Indonesia. The Anambas field is located in the Natuna basin and has an estimated gas output of about 55mn ft³/d. Kufpec will invest around $1.54bn into the development of the field, which is planned to come on stream in 2028. The approved plan of development outlines a phased strategy to unlock the gas and condensate potential of the field, said upstream regulator SKK Migas. The regulator will encourage Kufpec to accelerate efforts and bring the project on stream by the fourth quarter of 2027, said the head of SKK Migas, Djoko Siswanto. The development of the field will include drilling production wells and installing subsea pipelines to transport gas from Anambas to existing facilities in the West Natuna transportation system. Kufpec in 2022 announced the discovery of gas and condensate at the Anambas-2X well in the Anambas block. The Anambas block was awarded to Kufpec Indonesia in 2019 through a bidding process. The company holds a 100pc participating interest in the block and has a 30-year production sharing licence, including a six-year exploration period. The approval of the plan of development marks a step towards the project's final investment decision. It also shows that the upstream oil and gas sector in Indonesia is still attractive to domestic and foreign firms, said Djoko. The field is expected to be able to transport gas to domestic and regional markets, support Indonesia's energy security, and drive economic growth, according to SKK Migas. Indonesia continues to prioritise oil and gas expansion to maintain economic growth. Investment in oil and gas rose from $14.9bn in 2023 to $17.5bn in 2024, according to the country's energy ministry. By Prethika Nair Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

News

UK establishes public energy company

15/05/25

News

15/05/25

UK establishes public energy company

London, 15 May (Argus) — The UK parliament has passed a bill establishing a publicly owned energy company, Great British Energy (GBE), to support the nation's renewable energy ambitions. The company, funded with £8.3bn ($11.02bn) over the current parliamentary term, aims to accelerate renewable energy projects, enhance energy security, and support job creation, the department for energy security and net zero (Desnz) announced on Thursday. GBE will invest in clean energy initiatives, including technologies such as floating offshore wind, and collaborate with private companies to expand renewable energy capacity. The government states the company will help stabilise energy costs by reducing reliance on fossil fuels. The bill includes £200mn for renewable energy projects, such as rooftop solar for schools, hospitals, and communities. It has also committed £300mn to develop the UK's offshore wind supply chain, supporting manufacturing of components such as cables and platforms. The legislation received approval from the devolved governments of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, enabling GBE to operate across the UK. Desnz secretary of state Ed Miliband is expected to outline GBE's strategic priorities "soon", specifying technology focus areas and investment criteria. The government sees GBE as a key part of its plan to transition to clean energy and stimulate economic growth through a "modern industrial strategy", it said. Industry body Energy UK welcomed the bill's passage. "[GBE] can play a vital role in making the government's clean energy ambitions a reality by attracting extra private sector investment," chief executive Dhara Vyas said. By Timothy Santonastaso Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

News

Greece’s Alexandroupolis LNG off line until mid-Aug

15/05/25

News

15/05/25

Greece’s Alexandroupolis LNG off line until mid-Aug

London, 15 May (Argus) — Greece's 4.3mn t/yr Alexandroupolis LNG import terminal will remain off line until 15 August, after which it will return to 25pc of capacity for the remainder of the gas year, an updated urgent market message (UMM) from operator Gastrade says. The terminal has been off line since 28 January because of damage to the booster pumps on the floating storage and regasification unit, Gastrade said, and it will remain fully unavailable until 15 August, after which onward regasification services will resume capped at 25pc of maximum capacity, or about 42 GWh/d, with available redundancy for the booster pumps. This availability will be offered for 15 August-30 September only under "certain operational and commercial conditions", Gastrade specified, and several market participants were unsure of what this phrase meant or whether regasification would in fact be possible at all during this period. From the start of the new gas year on 1 October, the 25pc cap will be lifted, but "certain operation constraints may remain for a limited period of time", the operator said. The previous version of the the UMM listed the shutdown end date as 15 May, although Gastrade had already told Argus in April that it did not expect to return to full operations until October . By Brendan A'Hearn Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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