ARA bunkering hub’s independently held fuel oil stocks have fallen by 3% this month so far, according to Insights Global data.

Changes in monthly average ARA stocks from August to September (so far):

• Fuel oil stocks down 200,000 bbls to 6.32 million bbls
• Gasoil stocks up 1.71 million bbls to 15.92 million bbls

ARA's fuel oil stocks are hovering around their lowest monthly average this year, a level that was last recorded in July.

The region has imported 187,000 b/d of fuel oil in September so far, slightly more than the 179,000 b/d imported in August, according to cargo tracker Vortexa.

France has been the top supplier, contributing around 29% of total imports, followed by Tunisia (28%) and Sweden (24%).

The ARA has exported 174,000 b/d of fuel oil so far this month, down from 210,000 b/d shipped in August, Vortexa’s data shows.

Mauritania accounted for almost 34% of these cargoes, followed by United Kingdom (30%) and Denmark (16%).  

The region’s independent gasoil inventories - which include diesel and heating oil – have surged by 12% so far this month, compared to August.

The ARA hub has imported 345,000 b/d of gasoil in September so far, a sharp jump from 187,000 b/d in August, according to Vortexa data.

The majority of these supplies came from India (56%), followed by Sweden (18%) and Spain (11%).

Fuel oil availability is normal in the ARA bunkering hub. VLSFO and HSFO supplies still require a notice of 5-7 days, a trader said. LSMGO lead times have decreased from 5-7 days to 3-4 days in the past week.

By Nachiket Tekawade

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