Marine fuel sales at the UAE’s Fujairah eased to three-month lows in September, with monthly volumes logging year-on-year declines for the twelfth consecutive month, data showed.

Fujairah’s marine fuel sales or bunker volumes provide a gauge of shipping market sentiment in the Middle East.

September bunker sales, excluding lubricants, were at 628,639 cubic metres, or about 623,000 metric tons, showed Fujairah Oil Industry Zone (FOIZ) data published by S&P Global Commodity Insights.

September sales were down 7.2% month-on-month and 5.9% year-on-year.

Bunker uptake at Fujairah has largely softened through the year as some demand got diverted away to neighbouring ports like Khor Fakkan with cheaper prices, or outside port limits, according to industry sources.

September high-sulphur bunker sales slipped 11.9% month-on-month to 172,945 cubic meters, or about 171,000 metric tons.
Meanwhile, low-sulphur bunker sales of residual fuels and marine gasoils totalled 455,694 cubic meters, or about 451,000 metric tons, easing 5.3% from August.

This brought the market share of low-sulphur bunkers slightly higher at 72% from 71% in the previous month, and of high-sulphur bunkers down at 28% from 29%.
Source: Reuters (Reporting by Jeslyn Lerh; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)