• Prompt supply mostly tight across US ports
• Availability remains tight in Panama
• Houston Ship Channel congestion build-up

North America

All grades are tight for prompt dates in the Houston area and off the US Gulf Coast. Lead times of 5-7 days are generally recommended in Houston to ensure full coverage from suppliers.

Thick fog and reduced visibility has caused intermittent closures of the Houston Ship Channel, and led to significant vessel backlogs and congestion, sources say. Some suppliers are not quoting for prompt stems in order to clear bunker backlogs.

Bunker demand in Houston is said to have slowed this week after growing steadily in the recent weeks. Some sources say that while Brent and bunker prices have slumped to multi-month lows, some buyers have been holding back on enquiries in anticipation of further price declines. The slowing demand in Houston could continue into next week, a source say.

Houston’s HSFO and VLSFO benchmarks are down to one-year lows. Its LSMGO benchmark has declined to a 10-month low.

Similarly, availability of all grades is tight in New York. Recommended lead times for VLSFO and LSMGO are about 6-8 days, and prompter supply can be hard to find. One supplier can deliver VLSFO and LSMGO stems from 15 December onwards, a source says.

All grades remain tight for prompt dates in the West Coast ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. A longer lead time of at least 10-15 days is generally recommended to ensure full coverage from all suppliers. One supplier can supply VLSFO and LSMGO in Long Beach with a slightly shorter lead time of nine days, a source says.

VLSFO and LSMGO grades are tight for prompt dates in San Francisco. One supplier requires at least 6-8 days of lead time.

Bunker fuel availability is tight for prompt dates in the Galveston Offshore Lightering Area (GOLA). Two suppliers can deliver VLSFO and LSMGO stems in GOLA between 15-18 December, while a host of others have limited to no product available.

Bunker availability remains steady for all fuel grades in Mexico’s Manzanillo as it has been in the past several weeks. Recommended lead times for HSFO, VLSFO and LSMGO are about five days out, but prompter stems can be accommodated.

Caribbean and Latin America

All grades are tight for prompt dates in Panama’s Balboa and Cristobal. Recommended lead times for VLSFO and LSMGO are about 6-8 days out. Some suppliers can accommodate prompt LSMGO stems of smaller quantities, a source says.

Securing HSFO can be trickier in both Balboa and Cristobal and longer lead times are generally recommended.

LSMGO availability is tight off Trinidad, where a supplier is running low on stock. VLSFO is more readily available with the supplier and requires five days of lead time.

Bunker fuel availability is normal in Colombian ports. One supplier in Colombia’s Cartagena and Santa Marta can supply VLSFO and LSMGO for prompt dates, a trader says.

VLSFO availability is tight in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro, where one supplier requires at least two weeks of lead time, sources say.

All grades are tight for prompt dates at the Zona Comun anchorage in Argentina. LSMGO is particularly tighter as several suppliers are running low on stock. One supplier can deliver LSMGO stems from 18 December onwards. Lead times of 7-8 days are recommended for VLSFO.
Source: ENGINE, By Nithin Chandran, (https://engine.online/)