Singapore
Demand has picked up in Singapore following the Chinese Lunar New Year holidays. Availability of VLSFO and HSFO remains tight in the port, but prompt dates can still be available at price premiums, a source says. Availability of LSMGO, on the other hand, continues to vary from one supplier to another.
In Singapore, recommended lead times for VLSFO and HSFO have come down from 13-14 days last week, to 7-9 days and 8-10 days now, respectively. Lead times for LSMGO remain almost steady at 5-7 days.
Singapore’s residual fuel oil stocks have averaged 1% lower this month than across December, according to Enterprise Singapore. Fuel oil stocks are lower despite a 12% rise in net imports. Exports are down by 16% to an eight-month low, while imports are up by 3%.
Singapore’s middle distillate stocks, meanwhile, have averaged 17% higher this month than in December.
East Asia
Availability across all grades remains normal in Zhoushan with recommended lead times of 5-7 days. Demand has been weak so far this week, which could be down to persistently unstable weather conditions during the winter, a source says.
Hong Kong has seen tighter availability of all grades, and especially HSFO, amid strong demand and delayed replenishment cargoes. Lead times of 6-9 days are recommended for stems in the port, slightly up from seven days last week.
Strong wind gusts of 19-23 knots and waves of more than a metre are forecast to hit Hong Kong between 2-3 February, which may impact bunkering.
Recommended lead times across are 3-8 days across all grades in southern South Korean ports, while lead times are slightly shorter in the country’s western ports, at 2-7 days.
A source says bad weather might hamper bunkering in the South Korean ports of Ulsan, Onsan, Daesan, Taean and Yeosu throughout the week.
Bad weather might disrupt bunker operations in the Philippine port of Subic Bay until 9 February.
The Vietnamese port of Ho Chi Minh City may experience bunkering disruptions due to bad weather from 2-5 February, a source says.
South Asia
Availability of VLSFO and LSMGO remains good in Mumbai, with short lead times of 2-3 days.
Recommended lead times for VLSFO in Kandla on India’s northwest coast are around 2-3 days. LSMGO remains readily available in Kandla.
Bad weather may disrupt bunkering in the ports of Kandla and Sikka on Tuesday and Wednesday, a source says.
Prompt delivery dates for both VLSFO and LSMGO remain available in Cochin and Chennai on the southern coast of India. While VLSFO and LSMGO remain subject to enquiry in Tuticorin.
Visakhapatnam on India’s southwestern coast has short lead times of 2-3 days for both VLSFO and LSMGO.
Meanwhile, VLSFO availability is subject to enquiry in Haldia on India’s east coast.
Availability of VLSFO and LSMGO remains good in the Sri Lankan ports of Colombo and Trincomalee. Recommended lead times for the grades in Colombo are four days, while prompt dates are available in Trincomalee.
Bunker operations might be disrupted by rough weather in Colombo on Tuesday and Wednesday, a source says.
Middle East
Fujairah has been grappling with low demand since last week, while availability remains good. This has shortened lead times across all grades, with around five days required for LSMGO now, six for VLSFO and eight for HSFO.
LSMGO availability remains good across the Omani ports of Duqm, Sohar, Salalah and Muscat, with prompt dates available.
Source: ENGINE, By Tuhin Roy https://engine.online/