Singapore’s November marine fuel sales, also known as bunker sales, fell 3.1% month-on-month as vessel calls dropped, reports XM quoting official data.
Bunker sales in November totalled 4.26 million metric tons, down 2.5% year-on-year, based on latest data from Singapore’s Maritime and Port Authority.
The drop came in line with lower vessel calls for bunkering, which totalled 3,404 last month, down 3.9% from October.
Container throughput climbed to 3,353,300 20-foot equivalent units in November, hitting a four-month high.
Conventional fuels
Low-sulphur fuel oil (LSFO) sales for bunkering totalled 2.34 million tons in November, down 7.0% from prior month.
Expensive premiums for 0.5% low-sulphur bunkers could have dampened spot purchases, industry sources said.
Bunker premiums have firmed sharply into end-November, breaching nearly $50 a ton over Singapore cargo price quotes, they said.
Meanwhile, scrubber-fitted ships opted for more high-sulphur bunkers as prices were much cheaper compared with the low-sulphur grade.
High-sulphur marine fuel oil (MFO) sales totalled 1.54 million tons in November, up 6.3% from October.
Alternative fuels
Sales of bio-blended LSFO fell to 57,300 tons in November, after hitting a record high of 76,800 tons in October.
However, total 2023 to-date volumes for bio-blended LSFO were at 458,6000 tons, more than tripling from 2022 levels.
A parcel of bio-blended low-sulphur marine gasoil was also recorded for the first time ever, the data showed.
Meanwhile, bunker sales of liquefied natural gas were at 7,200 tons in November, bringing total year-to-date LNG bunker sales to 101,600 tons.
Bunker sales at Singapore are a key indicator of sentiment at the world’s largest ship refuelling hub, which is also one of the busiest shipping lanes globally.
Did you subscribe to our daily newsletter?
It’s Free! Click here to Subscribe!
Source: XM
