North America
Bunker demand has slowed in Houston and several other ports along the US Gulf Coast this week. Several bunker buyers have already booked bunkers for deliveries this week ahead of Christmas and year-end holidays, a source says.
Prompt availability remains tight in the Houston area. Lead times of about seven days are recommended for VLSFO and LSMGO, and 8-9 days for HSFO. Some suppliers are running behind delivery schedules due to recent rough weather conditions. However, the weather conditions are forecast to remain calm through this week, which could allow suppliers to clear backlogs.
One supplier can supply VLSFO for prompt delivery dates in the Mississippi River.
LSMGO availability is normal in Baltimore. Two suppliers can supply the grade with 5-6 days of lead times.
Bunker operations were running smoothly in the Galveston Offshore Lightering Area (GOLA) on Thursday. However, high wind gusts are forecast to hit the region on Monday, which could impact barge deliveries there.
All grades are tight for prompt delivery dates in the West Coast ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. Most suppliers require more than 10 days of lead time to deliver VLSFO and LSMGO stems in the ports. Securing HSFO can be even harder as only a few suppliers have supplies available.
Prompt VLSFO and LSMGO availability remains tight in the East Coast port of New York. Some suppliers are uncertain about the arrival timelines of replenishment cargoes to ease supply pressure there, a source says.
Caribbean and Latin America
Bunker fuel availability remains normal in Panama’s ports of Balboa and Cristobal. Lead times of 5-7 days are generally recommended for VLSFO and LSMGO in both ports. Meanwhile, VLSFO availability is tight for prompt delivery dates in Colon. One supplier requires lead times of at least eight days to supply the grade.
Panama sold around 382,000 mt of bunkers in November, down by 12% from October. The sales decline can be attributed to a reduction in vessel transits through the Panama Canal, caused by low water levels in Gatun Lake, which is a significant part of the canal. Around 535 ships arrived for bunkers in Panama in November, down from 636 in October, according to preliminary figures from the Panama Maritime Authority.
Strong wind gusts of up to 35 knots are forecast to hit Argentina’s Zona Comun anchorage between Thursday and Friday. High winds could impact barge deliveries in the region. Lead times of seven days are recommended for VLSFO and LSMGO there.
VLSFO and LSMGO availability is normal in the Brazilian port of Santos. Lead times of 5-7 days are recommended there. Overall, bunker demand has been a bit slow this week, a source says.
Brazilian petroleum firm and bunker supplier Petrobras has announced that it will stop publishing daily bunker price indications from 2 January onwards. The company will share prices only for firm enquiries.
Source: ENGINE (By Nithin Chandran), https://engine.online/news