Northwest Europe
VLSFO and LSMGO availability is said to be normal in Rotterdam and in the wider ARA hub.
VLSFO is more readily available in the region, and some suppliers can supply the grade for prompt dates. Lead times of 4-6 days are recommended to ensure full coverage from suppliers.
Lead times of 1-3 days are recommended for LSMGO in the ARA hub.
Prompt HSFO availability is said to be relatively tighter than other grades in the ARA hub. Lead times of 5-7 days are still recommended for the grade. The high-sulphur grade is also tight in Flushing, where one supplier is almost out of stock and expects replenishment in the coming days, a source says.
Rotterdam’s Hi5 spread was pegged at $78/mt on Wednesday, almost triple of what it was last week.
The ARA’s independently held fuel oil stocks slumped to a nine-month low in September, and averaged 14% lower on the month, according to Insights Global data. The region’s gasoil inventories – which include diesel and heating oil – declined by 7% in September.
All three grades remain in good availability in the German port of Hamburg. Lead times of up to five days are recommended there.
VLSFO and LSMGO availability remains normal for delivery off Skaw. Recommended lead times for both grades are around 7-10 days.
Mediterranean
HSFO availability has been “super tight” in Gibraltar since last month. Lead times of 10-15 days are recommended for the grade, up from 7-12 days last week. One supplier can supply the grade from 14 October, a source says.
Meanwhile, the availability of VLSFO and LSMGO is relatively better in Gibraltar and Algeciras. Lead times of 5-7 days are recommended there.
Gibraltar’s Hi5 spread was trading at $19/mt on Wednesday, while $24/mt in Las Palmas. Limited HSFO supply in the region has narrowed Hi5 spreads across several
Mediterranean ports.
VLSFO and LSMGO availability is normal In the Portuguese ports of Lisbon and Sines, a source says.
Prompt availability of VLSFO and LSMGO is tight in other bunker delivery locations in the Mediterranean such as off Malta and Piraeus. HSFO is almost out of stock off Malta,
where one supplier has limited supply available, a source says.
On the other hand, both low-sulphur grades are readily available for prompt dates in Istanbul, Turkey.
Africa
Both onshore and offshore bunkering remains suspended in Algoa Bay after the South African Revenue Service (SARS) detained bunker barges over import duty disputes last month.
Some bunker buyers are still booking stems for deliveries in Algoa Bay in late October. They anticipate that bunkering could resume by that time, a port agent says.
SARS has been conducting investigations into bunker compliance, and the bunker vessel detentions are part of an investigation, it said in a statement late last month. The South African authority has called the detentions “lawful” as the investigation is still ongoing.
Meanwhile, VLSFO and LSMGO availability has remained steady so far in Durban and Cape Town in South Africa. Lead times of up to seven days are recommended in both ports.
But some argue that availability has become tighter than usual In South African ports due to the ongoing bunkering crisis in Algoa Bay.
Bunker demand has increased in Mozambique’s Nacala and Maputo ports because of the ongoing bunkering crisis in Algoa Bay. VLSFO and LSMGO availability is normal in both ports. However, barge availability has become tight in Maputo because of a spike in enquiries. One bunker barge in Maputo is facing a busy delivery schedule, a source says.
Source: ENGINE, By Nithin Chandran, https://engine.online/news