As global port congestion continues to bite, fewer ships are preferring to lift fuel at Singapore’s Southeast Asian shipping and bunkering centre than a year ago as reported by Ship & Bunker.
Sailings cancelled
According to letters provided to clients, MSC Mediterranean Shipping Co. has cancelled sailings from Europe to Asia that would have included stops at the port, according to a Bloomberg article.
“Given all the circumstances, it would make more sense to bunker in China than to call in Singapore,” Esben Poulsson, chairman of the International Chamber of Shipping, was cited as saying.
He noted that some ships will refuel in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, where prices are lower than in Singapore.
Decrease in bunkers
According to figures from the Maritime and Port Authority, 441 fewer ships were called at Singapore in March compared to the same month last year, resulting in a decrease in the number of bunkers sold.
As Ship & Bunker reported last week, March sales volumes were down 10% from the previous month, with the month seeing the lowest number of bunker calls since February 2015.
Calls for bunkers fell to an 11-year low of 2,805 in February.
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Source: Ship & Bunker
