Generic Hero BannerGeneric Hero Banner
Latest market news

Singapore’s bunker sales hit 10-month low in April

  • : Oil products
  • 24/05/15

Singapore's April bunker sales fell to a 10-month low on weak very-low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) demand. But consumption of high-sulphur fuel oil (HSFO) and B24 biofuel bunkers remained firm.

  • Singapore VLSFO bunker sales fell to at least a 15-month low of 2.25mn t in April, according to data from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore. This came because of slower demand as more buyers turned to lower-priced HSFO.
  • Singapore HSFO sales accounted for a 42pc share of total fuel oil sales in April, up from a 31pc share a year earlier.
  • Disruptions in the Red Sea led to increased fuel usage by ocean-going vessels with higher rates of scrubber technology adoption, raising demand for HSFO by a greater extent than for VLSFO.
  • Consumption of bio-blended VLSFO, or B24, climbed by 61pc on the year because buying interest gained traction, but slipped by 10pc from strong consumption in March.
  • LNG bunker sales rose by over sixfold on the year but edged down from a record high in March.

Singapore bunker sales000t
Apr-24m-o-m ± %y-o-y ± %Jan-Apr 2024± %
Low-sulphur fuel oil (LSFO)2,252-6.9-1610,088-2.2
Marine fuel oil (MFO)1,6000.0316,46632
Low-sulphur MGO (LSMGO)277-11.0-111,201-3.0
Bio-blended LSFO60-10.06118653
Liquified natural gas (LNG)36-7.9582111N/A
MGO9.788.0-3743-9.2
Marine diesel oil (MDO)0.0N/AN/A0.0N/A
Bio-blended MDO0.0N/AN/A0.0N/A
Bio-blended marine gasoil (MGO)0.0N/AN/A0.0N/A
Bio-blended LSMGO0.0N/AN/A0.0N/A
Bio-blended MFO0.0N/A-1000.0-100
Ultra low sulphur fuel oil (ULSFO)0.0N/AN/A0.0N/A
Bio-blended ULSFO0.0N/AN/A0.0N/A
Methanol0.0N/AN/A0.0N/A
Total4,235-4.7-0.618,0968.9

Related news posts

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.

25/04/25

US tariffs create uncertain jet fuel outlook

US tariffs create uncertain jet fuel outlook

Houston, 25 April (Argus) — US airlines are signaling an uncertain outlook for jet fuel demand, with most withdrawing 2025 financial guidance because President Donald Trump's evolving tariff plans have made it difficult to predict travel demand. Delta Air Lines , American Airlines , Southwest Airlines and Alaska Airlines all withdrew financial guidance for the full year when reporting first-quarter earnings this month. Global economic uncertainty prompted United Airlines to provide two outlooks , one based on a weaker but stable economy and a second scenario in which the US falls into a recession. The uncertain demand outlook comes even as jet fuel costs are 11-15pc cheaper than a year earlier, with prices projected to fall to a 4-year low in 2025 . Much of the uncertainty stems from Trump's high and repeatedly changing tariff levels. He has imposed an across-the-board 10pc on imports from most trading partners, 25pc on some imports from Canada and Mexico and 145pc on most imports from China — and separately, a 25pc tariff on imported steel, aluminium, cars and auto parts. Beijing has responded with a 125pc tariff on imports from the US. The growing trade war has prompted the IMF to significantly lower its outlook for global economic growth in 2025-26. With no clear path on how to navigate the changing political and economic landscape, businesses and consumers have grown more cautious. Domestic and international air travel began to falter last month as Trump rolled out his trade policies. US airline passenger volumes declined by 15pc to 16.48mn passengers in the week ended 8 March, down from an eight-month high in the week prior. Brewing anti-American sentiment and concern about US immigration policy also may be lowering global demand for air travel to the US. The number of European travelers to the US totalled 1.03mn in March, lower by 15pc from the same month last year. This was the first time that European arrivals in the US fell on the year since March 2021, during the Covid-19 pandemic. By Craig Ross Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Phillips 66 ups Sweeny crude switching capacity: Update


25/04/25
25/04/25

Phillips 66 ups Sweeny crude switching capacity: Update

Adds CEO comment from earnings call Houston, 25 April (Argus) — US independent refiner Phillips 66 completed a project in the first quarter that allows it to adjust more of the crude slate at its 265,000 b/d Sweeny refinery in Old Ocean, Texas. The project will allow the company to switch about 40,000 b/d between heavy and light crude, Phillips 66 said today in an earnings release. The flexibility project was completed during a first quarter turnaround. Phillips 66 plans to run additional crude from the Permian basin in west Texas and eastern New Mexico through Sweeny, depending on market conditions, chief executive Mark Lashier said on an earnings call. The lighter crude from the Permian will displace imported heavy crude, he said. Several US refiners are exploring ways to run more lighter crude grades in the wake of new US tariffs and other actions that may limit the supply of heavier and medium grade crudes imported from trading partners. By Eunice Bridges Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Border checks boost legal fuel sales in Mexico


25/04/25
25/04/25

Border checks boost legal fuel sales in Mexico

Mexico City, 25 April (Argus) — Mexico's crackdown on fuel smuggling is disrupting illicit supply chains and boosting sales for compliant players operating through regulated imports, sources say. Fuel imports from Texas by tank truck were halted for at least three weeks as part of Mexico's broader push to curb smuggling at the US border. Authorities increased permit checks and cargo inspections in April, although cross-border flows have gradually resumed this week, according to one source familiar with the matter. Rail flows were largely unaffected, as most of the smuggled fuel crosses via tank truck. As a result, some retail fuel stations in northern Mexico that sold gasoline and diesel below market prices faced shortages in late April, operating intermittently or closing for some days, one fuel retailer told Argus . While compliant retailers saw higher sales, major importers and marketers, including state-owned Pemex, also benefited from the border closure. Executives from a private company with a valid import permit told Argus sales rose by 15-20pc on a yearly basis in some regions. The US-Mexico border remains an active corridor. Several Texas cities host terminals dedicated to fuel exports, with suppliers and truckers among the key players. But only a limited number of private-sector companies in Mexico hold valid import permits, meaning many tank truck shipments enter irregularly or avoid paying proper taxes. Collateral damage Mexico's tax authority on 9 April suspended US independent refiner Valero's fuel import permits as part of the efforts to fight fuel smuggling. The suspension was lifted on 23 April, but the two-week stop disrupted supply in several regions. Although Valero operates about 290 retail fuel stations of the 13,800 across Mexico, the company sells gasoline and diesel to other retailers and fuel marketers. Valero's fuel sales account for about 10pc of Mexico's gasoline and diesel demand, according to the company. Mexico has long battled fuel theft, tax evasion and contraband. Illicit fuel is estimated to meet up to 30pc of Mexico's 1.2mn b/d gasoline and diesel demand, according to the finance ministry. Much of it enters by mislabeling refined products at the border as petrochemicals, additives or biofuels — which are not subject to the excise tax of Ps7.0946/l ($1.34/USG) for diesel and Ps6.4555/l for regular gasoline. By Cas Biekmann and Antonio Gozain Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Phillips 66 ups crude switching at Texas refinery


25/04/25
25/04/25

Phillips 66 ups crude switching at Texas refinery

Houston, 25 April (Argus) — US independent refiner Phillips 66 completed a project in the first quarter that allows it to adjust more of the crude slate at its 265,000 b/d Sweeny refinery in Old Ocean, Texas. The project will allow the company to switch about 40,000 b/d between heavy and light crude, Phillips 66 said today in an earnings release. The flexibility project was completed during a first quarter turnaround. Several US refiners are exploring ways to run more lighter crude grades in the wake of new US tariffs and other actions that may limit the supply of heavier and medium grade crudes imported from trading partners. By Eunice Bridges Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

B100 seen attractive shipping fuel option after MEPC 83


25/04/25
25/04/25

B100 seen attractive shipping fuel option after MEPC 83

Singapore, 25 April (Argus) — More buyers in the shipping sector will consider biofuel blends of up to B100 now a greenhouse gas (GHG) pricing mechanism has laid out by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), according to panellists at the Argus Biofuels & Feedstocks Asia Conference. Global biodiesel demand is likely to strengthen in the near-term following the emergence of clearer international pricing standards for GHG emissions, they said. "B100 seems to have great momentum based on the [83rd Marine Environment Protection Committee] MEPC meeting," said French certification society Bureau Veritas' VeriFuel global business development director Bill Stamatopoulos. MEPC 83 is "a clear indication that we have to work together and work fast" because there is a cost penalty for not switching away from conventional marine fuels, said Danish tanker owner Hafnia's general manager of project and fleet sustainability, Pankaj Porwal. Most maritime participants welcomed the two-tier GHG pricing framework approved by the IMO at MEPC 83 from 7-11 April, which is a key milestone as the maritime sector pushes for decarbonisation. Biofuels like B24, B30, and B100 will gain more interest because of cost-savings for buyers when switching to cleaner fuels, said Singapore bunker supplier Equatorial Marine Fuel's (EMF) chief operating officer Choong Sheen Mao. B24 is 24pc of used cooking oil methyl ester (Ucome) blended with 76pc of conventional fuel, such as very-low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO), while B100 is pure biodiesel not blended with fossil fuels. Panellists said bunkering B100 would provide significant advantages for ships with voyages in EU waters, where firms can "pool" multiple vessels within the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) and FuelEU Maritime Regulation to balance compliance surpluses and deficits. But vessel shipowners would need to be "absolutely sure" of the amount of fuel required for the voyage, to avoid any unknown consequences if excess biofuels were mixed with other fuel types, said Hafnia's Porwal. The GHG pricing mechanism gives bunker buyers a "strong indication" of the cost of not switching to alternative marine fuels and this will drive biodiesel demand as buyers realise "they need to get involved in some way", said EMF's Choong, adding that suppliers can consider selling biodiesel if it is "commercially viable". There will be a minimum cost of compliance in adhering with IMO decarbonisation targets, but smaller shipowners should start running trials and "building quality control systems for your marine fuels so you're prepared to take on greener fuels", said International Bunker Industry Association (IBIA) Asia chair Rahul Choudhuri. "At the moment hedging is very much focused on VLSFO and gasoil… but as exposures change and regulations change, we'll see more instruments being used to counter [trading risks]," said shipbroker Braemar oil derivatives broker Rebecca Reed-Sperrin. As the decarbonisation mandates grow, "hopefully liquidity increases tremendously" for marine biofuels, she said. Challenges Panellists cited several barriers in the widespread uptake of biofuels in the shipping sector, such as availability of Ucome feedstock, controversies regarding feedstock origin, and limited biodiesel shelf life compared to conventional marine fuels. Fuel pricing and costs associated with bunkering biofuels surfaced as key concerns. International regulations are complex and buyers have to assess "what is [the] real price" taking into account IMO regulations, said Bureau Veritas' Stamatopoulos. Charterers and tanker operators face difficulties in securing a price without hidden costs involved, Italian ship owner Fratelli Cosulich biofuel trading advisor Sebastiaan Bruins. B100 is available but suppliers are not actively selling it as buying interest has been limited, Bruins said. China will be a "dominant force" for B100 supplies because of a larger Ucome volume, and market developments would depend on how China portions domestic and export volumes of Uco, said Choong. Long-term uptake agreements for biofuel with major shipowners would be important in scaling up biofuel bunker supplies, said Indonesian state-owned refiner PT Pertamina's marine fuels trading manager Justin Tan. Bunker buyers need to signal their interest regarding biofuels "so we know where to start too", he said. The maritime sector is still looking at a multifuel future since the supply of "Ucome alone cannot meet shipping's needs", said Danish tanker owner Maersk senior green fuel originator Felicia Ng. By Cassia Teo Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Generic Hero Banner

Business intelligence reports

Get concise, trustworthy and unbiased analysis of the latest trends and developments in oil and energy markets. These reports are specially created for decision makers who don’t have time to track markets day-by-day, minute-by-minute.

Learn more