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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Argus illuminates the markets by putting a lens on the areas that matter most to you. The market news and commentary we publish reveals vital insights that enable you to make stronger, well-informed decisions. Explore a selection of news stories related to this one.

News

10/04/25

India’s DOF proposes additional phosphate subsidies

London, 10 April (Argus) — India's Department of Fertilizers (DOF) has proposed additional subsidies on DAP and imported TSP for the April-September Kharif season, according to a document seen by Argus . The proposed compensations are on top of the current nutrient-based subsidy (NBS) and the 3,500 rupees/t special additional subsidy (other costs) on DAP that are already in place. If approved, they would balance DAP importers' losses at current rates. The DOF has proposed returning to DAP importers and producers 4pc of the maximum retail price (MRP), plus a rebate on the goods and services tax (GST) on the MRP. The DOF also has suggested paying importers the difference between the cfr prices for cargoes imported during this Kharif season and the average cfr price for DAP imports over the October 2024-March 2025 Rabi season. At current exchange rates, this would add $81-82/t to the subsidy on DAP imported in the mid-$670s/t cfr, broadly equal to the losses currently faced by importers. Importers buying DAP in the mid-$670s/t cfr are facing losses of about $84/t, given the US dollar/rupee exchange rate, the MRP of Rs27,000/t, the NBS of Rs27,799/t and the special additional subsidy of Rs3,500/t. The 4pc return on the MRP, plus GST, will fall slightly short of covering the $33/t losses incurred by DAP producers importing phosphoric acid at $1,153/t P2O5 cfr and ammonia at $350/t cfr. Producers making DAP with 30-31pc P2O5 phosphate rock imported at $153/t cfr, sulphur received at $300/t cfr and ammonia delivered at $350/t cfr already are making profits of about $50/t. But they also would still receive the 4pc MRP return and GST rebate. The same proposal applies to imported TSP. The DOF suggests paying 4pc of the Rs25,000/t MRP, and the GST, plus the increase from the average Rabi import cost to importers. By Tom Hampson Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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News

Trump coal plant bailout renews first term fight

09/04/25

News

09/04/25

Trump coal plant bailout renews first term fight

Washington, 9 April (Argus) — President Donald Trump's effort to stop the retirement of coal-fired power plants is reminiscent of a 2017 attempt that faltered in the face of widespread industry opposition. Trump, in an executive order signed on Tuesday, directed the US Department of Energy (DOE) to tap into emergency powers to stop the retirement of coal-fired plants and other large plants it believes are critical to grid reliability. The order sets a 30-day deadline for DOE to decide which plants are critical based on a new methodology that will analyze if reserve margins, or the percent of unused capacity at peak demand, are at an "acceptable" level. The initiative shares similarities to Trump's unsuccessful effort in his first term to bail out coal and nuclear plants. In the 2017 effort, Trump backed a "grid resiliency" proposal to compensate power plants with 90 days of on-site fuel. But an unusual coalition of natural gas industry groups, manufacturers, renewable producers and environmentalists united against the idea, warning it would upend power markets and cost consumers billions of dollars each year. The US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission voted 5-0 to reject the proposal. It remains unclear if a similarly sized coalition will emerge to fight Trump's latest proposal, under which DOE would use emergency powers in section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act to keep some coal plants and other large power plants operating. Industry groups have largely been avoiding taking positions that could be seen as critical of Trump. Environmentalists say they strongly oppose keeping coal plants operating using emergency powers. Doing so would mean more air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, they say, and higher costs for consumers. Environmental groups say they are hoping other industries affected by the potential bailout will eventually speak out against the initiative. "The silence from those who know better is deafening," Center for Biological Diversity climate law institute legal director Jason Rylander said. "I hope that we will start to see more resistance to these dangerous policies before significant damage is done." DOE said it was "already hard at work" to implement Trump's executive order, which was paired with other orders that were meant to support coal mining and coal production. US energy secretary Chris Wright said today that reviving coal will increase the reliability of the electrical grid and bring down electricity costs, but he has not shared further details on the 202(c) initiative. Trying to litigate the program could be "tricky", and section 202(c) orders have never successfully been challenged in court, in part because they are usually short-term orders, Harvard Law School Electricity Law Initiative director Ari Peskoe said. But opponents could challenge them by focusing on "numerous legal problems", he said, such as not allowing public comment or running afoul of a US Supreme Court precedent that prohibits agencies from attempting to decide "major questions" without clear congressional authorization. "Here DOE would use a little-used statute explicitly written for short-term emergencies in order to PREVENT a change in the US energy mix," Peskoe said. A projected 8.1GW of coal-fired generation is set to retire this year, equivalent to nearly 5pc of the coal fleet, the US Energy Information Administration said last month. Electric utilities often decide which plants to retire years in advance, allowing them to defer maintenance and to forgo capital investments in aging facilities. Keeping coal plants running could require exemptions from environmental rules or pricey capital investments, the costs of which would likely be distributed among other ratepayers. By Chris Knight Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

News

What do tariffs mean for the global gas market?

09/04/25

News

09/04/25

What do tariffs mean for the global gas market?

Some countries are considering retaliatory tariffs, while others hope to reduce their trade deficit in order to negotiate lower rates London, 9 April (Argus) — Newly announced US tariffs on goods entering the country and some of the countermeasures already announced by large trade partners are unlikely to cause any direct disruptions to global gas markets. But the indirect effects on gas supply and demand may be huge, stemming from a weaker macroeconomic outlook, fuel substitution and inflationary pressures on infrastructure development. US president Donald Trump on 2 April imposed a minimum 10pc tax on all foreign imports from 5 April,with much higher tariffs on selected countries that briefly came into force on 9 April, before Trump announced a 90-day pause. China is the only exception. It has announced retaliatory tariffs that could disrupt US energy exports, resulting in an escalation that has already brought up the respective levies to 125pc in the US and 84pc in China. These are unlikely to have any direct impact on LNG trade flows, as China had already stopped importing US LNG earlier this year. But disruptions to trade between the world's two largest economies may weigh heavily on manufacturing activity in China, in turn reducing industrial gas demand. And the ripple effects of disruptions to US LPG exports to China may alter fuel-switching economics in the region and beyond. Most other countries in Asia-Pacific have opted not to follow China's lead by retaliating against US tariffs, even though many have warned about the potential for long-term economic disruption. The Japanese government intends to negotiate a better tariff deal and is considering investing in the US' proposed 20mn t/yr Alaska LNG export project as part of wider efforts to reduce its trade surplus with the US. Countries in Asia-Pacific have been hit with some of the highest of Trump's targeted duties. The EU is keeping retaliatory measures on the table, but these are unlikely to include any levy on US LNG. Europe has become much more reliant on LNG imports after losing the bulk of its Russian pipeline supply, and imposing tariffs on energy imports would only reignite inflationary pressures that European countries have tried to curb over the past three years. The bloc says it is ready to negotiate on possibly increasing its US LNG imports to reduce its trade surplus and would zero out its tariffs on industrial imports if the US agrees to do the same. But Trump says this offer is not enough, citing the EU's upcoming Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism as one of the "unfair trade practices" that justifies a tariff response. Nerves of steel Much greater risks for gas markets may stem from rising infrastructure costs in the US' upstream and midstream sectors, particularly as a result of earlier tariffs imposed on steel and aluminum imports. These present an immediate risk for US LNG developers, particularly for the five projects under construction and the six others expected to reach final investment decisions this year. Metals account for up to 30pc of the cost of building an LNG export plant. An LNG terminal can cost $5bn-25bn to build, depending on its size, with steel used for pipelines, tanks and other structural frameworks. US facilities can be built using some domestic metal, but higher prices for this may lead to construction and final investment decision delays for the country's planned liquefaction projects. US tariffs' primary effect on the domestic gas market stems from duties levied on non-energy goods used by the oil and gas industry, including steel and specialised pipeline components such as valves and compressors, which are imported from overseas. The US remains a net natural gas importer from Canada , but these flows are unlikely to be affected by trade tariffs given the lack of alternative supply sources available to some northern US states. US LNG project pipeline mn t/yr Project Capacity Expected start/FID Under construction Plaquemines 19.2 2025 Corpus Christi stage 3 12.0 2025 Golden Pass 18.1 2026 Rio Grande 17.6 2027 Port Arthur 13.5 2027 Waiting for final investment decision Delfin FLNG 1 13.2 mid-2025 Texas LNG 4.0 2025 Calcasieu Pass 2 28.0 mid-2025 Corpus Christi train 8-9 3.3 2025 Louisiana LNG 16.5 mid-2025 Cameron train 4 6.8 mid-2025 Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

News

Delta pulls full-year forecast amid US tariffs: Update

09/04/25

News

09/04/25

Delta pulls full-year forecast amid US tariffs: Update

Adds details from earnings call throughout. Houston, 9 April (Argus) — Delta Air Lines pulled its full-year 2025 financial guidance today, citing US tariff-related uncertainty. "Given the lack of economic clarity, it is premature at this time to provide an updated full-year outlook," the airline said Wednesday in an earnings call. Delta said it hoped the growing US tariff war with the world would be resolved through trade negotiations, but that it also told its main aircraft manufacturer, Airbus, that it would not purchase any aircraft that includes a tariff fee. "If you start to put a 20pc incremental cost on top of an aircraft, it gets very difficult to make that math work," chief executive Ed Bastion said in an earnings call today. In the meantime, Delta is protecting margins and cash flow by focusing on what it can control, including reducing planned capacity growth in the second half of the year to flat compared to last year, while also managing costs and capital expenses, Bastion said. Delta expects revenue in the second quarter of 2025 to be either 2pc higher or 2pc lower from the year earlier period with continued resilience in premium, loyalty and international bookings offsetting softness in domestic and standard flights. Punitive taxes on imports from key US trading partners were implemented on Wednesday despite President Donald Trump's claims of multiple trade deals in the making. Trump's 10pc baseline tariff on imports from nearly every country already went into effect on 5 April. The higher, "reciprocal" taxes went into effect today, although at midday Wednesday he announced a 90-day pause on most of the higher tariffs, while increasing tariffs on Chinese imports even higher. The company reported a profit of $240mn in the first quarter of 2025, up from $37mn in the first quarter of 2024. Confidence craters in 1Q Corporate travel started the year with momentum, but a reduction in corporate confidence stalled growth in February and March, Delta said. For the first quarter, corporate sales were up by low-single digits compared to the prior year, with strength led by the banking and technology sectors. The company's fuel expenses were down by 7pc in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the prior year period. The average price Delta paid for jet fuel was $2.45/USG, down by 11pc to the prior year period. Delta said it has seen "a significant drop off in bookings" out of Canada amid the trade disputes with that country which started earlier than the broader US tariffs. Meanwhile, Mexico is "a mixed bag," the company said. Delta is considering reducing capacity levels in Mexico and Canada in the future. The company reported a profit of $240mn in the first quarter of 2025, up from $37mn in the first quarter of 2024. By Eunice Bridges Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

News

Delta pulls full-year forecast on tariff uncertainty

09/04/25

News

09/04/25

Delta pulls full-year forecast on tariff uncertainty

Houston, 9 April (Argus) — Delta Air Lines pulled its full-year 2025 financial guidance today, citing US tariff-related uncertainty. "Given the lack of economic clarity, it is premature at this time to provide an updated full-year outlook," the airline said Wednesday in an earnings call. Delta said it hoped the growing tariff war woudl be resolved through trade negotiations, but that it also told its main aircraft manufacturer, Airbus, that it would not purchase any aircraft that includes a tariff fee. In the meantime, Delta is protecting margins and cash flow by focusing on what it can control, including reducing planned capacity growth in the second half of the year to flat compared to last year, while also managing costs and capital expenses, chief executive Ed Bastion said. The company reported a profit of $298mn in the first quarter of 2025, up slightly from $288mn in the first quarter of 2024. The company's fuel expenses were down by 7pc in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the prior year period. The average price Delta paid for jet fuel was $2.45/USG, down by 11pc to the prior year period. By Eunice Bridges Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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