It is “almost impossible” to compare the bunker figures for 2021 with those of five years ago, highlighted by the Port of Rotterdam Authority, says an article published in Manifold Times.
Variety of fuels
The organisation noted an increasing variety of bunker fuels becoming available in the marine fuels market in 2021; where it also saw the introduction of methanol bunkering.
“For the first time, there was also a reason to count bio-blend fuels separately,” it states.
“LNG bunkering is on the rise, although this increase was briefly halted by the price development. In December, LNG saw a price increase of over 300%.
“We will have to wait a little longer for hydrogen, but the use of ammonia as a fuel seems likely to happen in three years’ time, once the first sea-going vessels start using it.
“The port is preparing for the safe bunkering of all these new shipping fuels.”
Key take-aways
The key takings from the 2021 bunker figures are set out below:
- Strong growth in LNG compared to 2020: 188% increase to over 0.6 million m3. Less than previous quarters in Q4, as was already expected due to the high gas price.
- Bio-blend fuels total over 0.3 million tonnes. This is the combination of fossil bunkers and bio-components. We do not know the exact blend ratio. No figures are available for 2020.
- All fuel oil combined (bio-blends and regular) increases 3.7% compared to 2020 to 7.8 million tonnes
- All distillates fell by almost 1.5% to 1.79 million tonnes
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Source: Manifold Times
