Bunker Industry seeks universal alternative fuels rules

: Biofuels, Oil products
25/04/08

Bunker market participants urged the adoption of universal standards for alternative bunker fuels, warning that fragmented regulations are hampering the maritime sector's shift to lower-carbon options.

Speaking at the S&P Global Commodity Insights FUJCON 2025, held in Fujairah, UAE, stakeholders highlighted inconsistencies and divergent regional policies, governing biofuels, methanol, ammonia and hydrogen as a key obstacle to scaling up adoption.

The lack of harmonised standards on fuel certification, safety protocols and emissions accounting is creating uncertainty for operators and suppliers navigating a complex global market.

"Shipping companies like us face an unfair situation, falling behind the policies, that are changing every day," Jens Maul Jorgensen, director of bunkering at Oldendorff Carriers said.

The EU's emissions trading system (ETS) was extended to cover the maritime sector last year, and this year FuelEU Maritime came into effect, while the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) is lagging with global regulations, Jorgensen said.

FuelEU Maritime, which came into effect this year, sets greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets for vessels travelling in or out of Europe.

Panel participants at FUJCON called for the replacement of "too many regulations" with universal, clear and policed rules.

"If we do not ensure the proper policing of these rules, people will keep finding loopholes, and we do not need loopholes," according to chair of the International Bunker Industry Association Constantinos Capetanakis.

The bunker market is under pressure to decarbonise as the IMO targets a 50pc cut in shipping emissions by 2050 from 2008 levels.

Alternative fuels are central to this goal, but regulatory disparities complicate investment decisions, industry players said.

Market participants warned that prolonged regulatory fragmentation could delay infrastructure investments and inflate costs for end-users.

By Elshan Aliyev

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25/04/22

FERC commissioner Phillips resigns from agency

Washington, 22 April (Argus) — Democratic commissioner Willie Phillips has resigned from the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) after serving more than three years at an agency responsible for permitting natural gas infrastructure and regulating wholesale power markets. Phillips' departure will clear the way for President Donald Trump to nominate a replacement at FERC, who once confirmed by the US Senate would provide Republicans a 3-2 majority for the first time since 2021. Phillips, whose term was not set to expire until June 2026, had a reputation for negotiating bipartisan deals on contentious orders involving pipelines and power market issues in the two years he served as FERC's chairman under former president Joe Biden. Phillips has yet to release a statement explaining his abrupt resignation. But Trump has already fired Democratic commissioners and board members at other agencies that, like FERC, are structured as independent from the White House. Two of the fired Democrats, who were serving at the US Federal Trade Commission, have filed a lawsuit that argues their removal was unlawful under a 1935 decision by the US Supreme Court. The White House did not respond to a question on whether it had pressured Phillips to resign. FERC chairman Mark Christie, a Republican, offered praise for Phillips as a "dedicated and selfless public servant" who sought to "find common ground and get things done to serve the public interest". Christie for months has been downplaying the threats to FERC's independence caused by Trump's executive order that asserts sweeping control over FERC's agenda. Energy companies have come to depend on FERC in serving as independent arbiter in disputes over pipeline tariffs and electricity markets, without the consideration of political preferences of the White House. Former FERC chairman Neil Chatterjee, a Republican who served in Trump's first term, said in a social media post it was "disappointing" to see Phillips pushed out after he "played it straight" in his work at the agency. As chairman, Phillips was able to authorize a "massive LNG project" — the 28mn t/yr CP2 project — at a time when Biden had sought to pause LNG licensing, Chatterjee said. Separately, Paul Atkins was sworn in as the chairman of the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on 21 April, after the US Senate voted 52-44 earlier this month in favor of his confirmation. Atkins was previously the chief executive of financial consulting firm Patomak Global Partners and served as an SEC commissioner from 2002-08. Republicans will now have a 3-1 majority at the SEC. By Chris Knight Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Tariff ‘shock’ prompts IMF to cut growth outlook

25/04/22

Tariff ‘shock’ prompts IMF to cut growth outlook

Washington, 22 April (Argus) — Global economic growth is expected to be significantly lower in 2025-26 than previously anticipated because of the steep tariffs President Donald Trump is pursuing for most imports and the uncertainty his policies are generating, the IMF said. The IMF, in its latest World Economic Outlook released today, forecasts the global economy will grow by 2.8pc in 2025 and 3pc in 2026. That compares with the 3.3pc/yr growth for 2025-26 that the IMF was expecting just three months ago. Today's forecast is based on the tariffs that Trump had in place as of 4 April, before he paused steep tariffs on most countries and escalated tarrifs on China. These barriers had pushed up the effective US tariff rate to levels "not seen in a century", the IMF said. While Trump has altered his tariff levels repeatedly, he has imposed an across-the-board 10pc tariff on most imports, a 25pc tariff on steel and aluminum, a 25pc tariff on some imports from Canada and Mexico, and a 145pc tariff on most imports from China. "This on its own is a major negative shock to growth," the IMF said. "The unpredictability with which these measures have been unfolding also has a negative impact on economic activity and the outlook." IMF forecasts are used by many economists to model oil demand projections. The US and its closest trading partners appear to be among those hardest hit by tariffs and corresponding trade countermeasures. The IMF's baseline scenario forecasts US growth at 1.8pc this year, a decrease of 0.9 percentage points from the forecast the IMF released in January, reflecting higher policy uncertainty, trade tensions and softer demand outlook. Mexico's economy is now projected to shrink by 0.3pc in 2025, rather than grow by 1.4pc, while Canada's growth is forecast at 1.4pc in 2025, down from 2pc. The release of the IMF report comes as Trump has given no indications of a shift in thinking on tariffs, which he says are generating billions of dollars for the US and will prompt companies to relocate their manufacturing capacity to the US. "THE BUSINESSMEN WHO CRITICIZE TARIFFS ARE BAD AT BUSINESS, BUT REALLY BAD AT POLITICS. THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND OR REALIZE THAT I AM THE GREATEST FRIEND THAT AMERICAN CAPITALISM HAS EVER HAD!" Trump wrote on social media on 20 April. The next day, major stock markets indexes declined by more than 2pc, continuing their crash from when Trump began announcing his tariff policies. Trump on 21 April escalated his attacks against US Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell for failing to lower interest rates as Trump has demanded. There could be a "SLOWING of the economy unless Mr. Too Late" — his nickname for Powell — "a major loser, lowers interest rates, NOW," Trump wrote. The IMF also ratcheted down its expectations for the Chinese economy. China's economy is expected to grow by 4pc/yr in 2025-26, down from the 4.6 and 4.5pc, respectively, the IMF was anticipating in January. The euro area is forecast to grow by 0.8pc in 2025 and 1.2pc in 2026, a decrease of 0.2 percentage points from the IMF's previous forecast. By Chris Knight Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

IMO incentive to shape bio-bunker choices: Correction

25/04/21

IMO incentive to shape bio-bunker choices: Correction

Corrects B30 pricing in paragraph 5. New York, 21 April (Argus) — An International Maritime Organization (IMO) proposal for ship owners who exceed emissions reduction targets to earn surplus credits will play a key role in biofuel bunkering options going forward. The price of these credits will help determine whether B30 or B100 becomes the preferred bio-bunker fuel for vessels not powered by LNG or methanol. It will also influence whether biofuel adoption is accelerated or delayed beyond 2032. At the conclusion of its meeting earlier this month the IMO proposed a dual-incentive mechanism to curb marine GHG emissions starting in 2028. The system combines penalties for non-compliance with financial incentives for over-compliance, aiming to shift ship owner behavior through both "stick" and "carrot" measures. As the "carrot", ship owners whose emissions fall below the IMO's stricter compliance target will receive surplus credits, which can be traded on the open market. The "stick" will introduce a two-tier penalty system. If emissions fall between the base and direct GHG emissions tiers, vessel operators will pay a fixed penalty of $100/t CO2-equivalent. Ship owners whose emissions exceed the looser, tier 2, base target will incur a penalty of $380/t CO2e. Both tiers tighten annually through 2035. The overcompliance credits will be traded on the open market. It is unlikely that they will exceed the cost of the tier 2 penalty of $380/t CO2e. Argus modeled two surplus credit price scenarios — $70/t and $250/t CO2e — to assess their impact on bunker fuel economics. Assessments from 10-17 April showed Singapore very low-sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) at $481/t, Singapore B30 at $740/t, and Chinese used cooking oil methyl ester (Ucome), or B100, at $1,143/t (see charts). If the outright prices remain flat, in both scenarios, VLSFO would incur tier 1 and tier 2 penalties, raising its effective cost to around $563/t in 2028. B30 in both scenarios would receive credits putting its price at $653/t and $715/t respectively. In the high surplus credit scenario, B100 would earn roughly $580/t in credits, bringing its net cost to about $563/t, on par with VLSFO, and more competitive than B30. In the low surplus credit scenario, B100 would earn just $162/t in credits, lowering its cost to approximately $980/t, well above VLSFO. At these spot prices, and $250/t CO2e surplus credit, B100 would remain the cheapest fuel option through 2035. At $70/t CO2e surplus credit, B30 becomes cost-competitive with VLSFO only after 2032. Ultimately, the market value of IMO over-compliance credits will be a major factor in determining the timing and extent of global biofuel adoption in the marine sector. By Stefka Wechsler Scenario 1, $70/t surplus credit $/t Scenario 2, $250/t surplus credit $/t Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Washington seeks input on GHG market changes

25/04/21

Washington seeks input on GHG market changes

Houston, 21 April (Argus) — Washington regulators are moving forward with a slew of potential changes to the state's "cap-and-invest" program through a pair of draft rules, despite ongoing uncertainty around new program mechanics under discussion in the California-Quebec carbon market. The Department of Ecology opened public comment for the two draft rules on 16 April for the revised carbon market linkage rulemaking it kicked off in March . The draft language builds on changes required by SB 6058 , which lawmakers passed last year at the request of Ecology, to smooth out any incompatibility between the state's program and the larger California-Quebec market, known as the Western Climate Initiative (WCI). In line with legislation, the agency is proposing to shift the program's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions exemption for biomass-derived fuels to 35pc lower lifecycle emissions — down from 40pc — than the comparable petroleum fuels, allow the use of another jurisdiction's carbon offsets issued after July 2019 for compliance, and lower the allowance holding limits for general participants in a linked market. Ecology is proposing other changes required by the law, such as accounting for emissions from imported electricity. Changes Ecology is proposing that are not required by SB 6058 include accounting for the combined total allowances between all three jurisdictions in the program's holding limit formulas and adding quarterly future vintage allowance auctions in line with the WCI. Ecology began pursuit of linking with the WCI in 2023 , the first year of the Washington's program. While the agency continues to move forward on linkage-related due diligence required by state law, some program changes needed to join the WCI market, such as aligning program compliance periods and corporate affiliation group disclosures, must wait for guidance from California and Quebec. Ongoing work by the current WCI members to update their respective regulations has run into a series of delays . One potential change California Air Resources Board staff floated in April 2024 is aligning the end of each compliance cycle with the program's emissions reduction targets in 2030, 2035, 2040 and 2045, rather than the current three-year compliance cycle. But the agency has largely been silent on the issue since, including in its most recent market notice on planned changes in October 2024. Washington's "cap-and-invest" program aims to cut GHG emissions by 45pc by 2030, compared with 1990 levels, and to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. The program covers industrial facilities, natural gas suppliers, power plants and other fuel suppliers with GHG emissions of at least 25,000 t/yr. Ecology is requesting public comment on the draft language through 16 May. By Denise Cathey Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Calif. refinery resupply rule vote postponed

25/04/21

Calif. refinery resupply rule vote postponed

Houston, 21 April (Argus) — California regulators delayed a vote this week on new refinery resupply rules meant to mitigate retail gasoline price spikes, but refiners are still wary that the state is moving to make the most regulated market in the US even tougher. The California Energy Commission (CEC) had scheduled a vote on refinery resupply rules at its 24 April business meeting but said the meeting is now postponed to allow for additional feedback and consultation with stakeholders. The draft rules under consideration would require refiners to submit resupply plans to the state at least 120 days before any planned maintenance in September and October that would cause California specification gasoline production to decline by 20,000 b/d for at least 21 days or a total of more than 450,000 bl. Large spikes in California prices occurred in the fall of 2022 and 2023. The commission is also planning rulemaking this year on minimum inventory requirements to avoid price spikes in the event of unplanned events, as well as possible rules on setting a refiner margin cap. The timing of the new regulations is precarious, as two major refineries in the state are planning to shut operations within a year. Independent refiner Valero said on 16 April it is planning to shut or re-purpose its 145,000 b/d refinery in Benicia, California and continues to evaluate strategic alternatives for its other refinery in the state – the 85,000 b/d Wilmington facility. In addition, Phillips 66 is planning to shut its 139,000 b/d Los Angeles refinery later this year. Effort to stop gasoline price spikes The California rules stem from two pieces of legislation signed by California governor Gavin Newsom known as AB X2-1 and SB X1-2, part of a multi-year effort to mitigate price volatility in the state, after some of the highest gasoline prices ever recorded in the fall of 2022. US refiners have long opposed the new regulations seeing them as a political attack on the industry, conflicting with other laws and the latest example of an increasingly difficult regulatory environment in the state. The CEC has conducted workshops to help draft the rules with the participation of labor groups, the refining industry, environmental justice groups, community advocates, and the public. The industry was largely represented by the Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA). WSPA told the commission that the resupply rule could conflict with existing statutory requirements for refiners not to withhold fuel from the market and could result in market distortions and undesirable price impacts. The rules could also make it hard for Arizona and Nevada to secure needed supplies in the face of regulations expressly favoring Californians' access to fuel, WSPA said. The rules could also force refiners to use "uneconomic strategies" to secure non-spot market resupplies and additional capital to guarantee inventories that could potentially lead to higher gasoline prices, the group said. AB X2-1 forbids the CEC from adopting any regulation "unless it finds that the likely benefits to consumers from avoiding price volatility outweigh the potential costs to consumers." WSPA said it is concerned that the CEC does not "have the facts in front of it to legitimately support such a finding" with respect to imposing the resupply requirement. Under the draft resupply rules, refiners must show they can secure sufficient supply to ensure that lost gasoline production anticipated during the maintenance does not adversely affect the California transportation fuels market. The plan must show a resupply volume of at least 85pc of the anticipated lost gasoline production during the maintenance and the resupply volumes must match the seasonal specification of the lost production. The resupply plans could include imports and each barrel of resupply obtained by imports will count as 1.3 barrels of resupply. In addition, a plan that includes resupply through the purchase or storage of gasoline blendstocks or gasoline blending components must explain how such materials will result in an equivalent amount of California specification gasoline. Non-compliance could carry a civil penalty of $100,000-$1mn per day. Refineries with capacity under 30,000 b/d are exempt from the resupply regulation. The rules would apply to five major refiners operating in the state — Chevron, PBF Energy, Phillips 66, Valero and Marathon. Phillips 66, however, will be closing its Los Angeles refinery by October and converted a refinery in Rodeo, California, to renewable fuels in 2024. Since the 1980s, 29 refineries in California have been shut or integrated with other refineries that eventually closed or converted to renewable fuels production, according to CEC data. About half of the shut refineries were smaller operations, producing less than 20,000 b/d. Looking at options The CEC caused a stir in August 2024 when it released its Transportation Fuels Assessment, which examined policy options to mitigate price spikes and transition away from fossil fuels including the state of California buying and owning refineries. The assessment said this could range from one refinery to all refineries in the state. But the document also highlighted problems with such a plan, including the high cost of buying refineries, significant legal issues, and the fact that the state has no experience managing complex industrial processes. California is not currently pursuing this option, state officials said. Another idea in the Transportation Fuels Assessment involved state-owned product reserves in the north and south of California to allow rapid deployment of fuel when needed. This could include "up to several hundred thousand barrels." The CEC and the California Air Resources Board are drafting a formal Transportation Fuels Transition Plan which will serve as a road map to move away from fossil fuels. A draft of the report will be released later this year. The Transportation Fuels Assessment and the Transportation Fuels Transition Plan were mandated under SB X1-2. 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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