Panama's sales of VLSFO and HSFO fell in April, both on a total and daily average basis.

Changes in Panama bunker fuel sales from March to April:

• Total sales down 40,000 mt to 459,000 mt
• VLSFO sales down 33,000 mt to 274,000 mt
• HSFO sales down 3,000 mt to 133,000 mt
• LSMGO sales up 800 mt to 48,000 mt
• 0.50% MGO sales down 4,000 mt to 4,000 mt

Total sales averaged 15,000 mt/day in April, down from 16,000 mt/day in March. This was the lowest daily average since September last year, according to preliminary figures from the Panama Maritime Authority.

VLSFO sales decreased by 11% on the month, while LSMGO sales edged 2% higher. HSFO sales went down by 2% on the month, but were up by 17% compared to the same month last year.

The number of ships bunkering in Panama’s ports decreased by 39 from March to 627 in April. That was 127 more ships than in April 2024.

The average stem size was 732 mt, down from 749 mt in March.

The number of barges operating in Panama remained unchanged at 30 last month.

VLSFO continued to dominate with approximately 60% of total bunker sales. HSFO sales contributed around 29%, while combined MGO sales made up 11% of the total.

Availability of all bunker fuels remains good in Panama now, but demand has been reported low over the past 3-4 weeks. The recommended lead time continues to be 4-6 days.

By Gautamee Hazarika

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