Sales of VLSFO and HSFO fell, both on a total and daily average basis.

Changes in Panama bunker fuel sales from August to September:

• Total sales down 43,000 mt to 376,000 mt
• VLSFO sales down 35,000 mt to 246,000 mt
• HSFO sales down 3,000 mt to 85,000 mt
• LSMGO sales down 6,000 mt to 40,000 mt
• 0.5% MGO sales up 1,000 mt to 5,000 mt

VLSFO sales fell by around 13% on the month, while LSMGO volumes declined by about 12%. HSFO sales also eased slightly in September, down by nearly 4% from August levels.

This marks the steepest drop in the past 19 months and comes after a short rebound in sales seen in August, according to preliminary data from the Panama Maritime Authority.

Total sales averaged 12,500 mt/day in September, compared with 13,500 mt/day in August.

The number of ships bunkering in Panama’s ports came down to 592, from 598 in August, while the number of barges operating increased slightly to 31.

The average stem size fell to 635 mt, down from 701 mt in the previous month.

VLSFO continues to dominate Panama’s bunker market in September, accounting for around 65% of total sales.

HSFO made up roughly 23% of the total, while MGO volumes contributed about 12%.

In key ports such as Balboa and Cristobal, VLSFO and LSMGO can be delivered within 3–5 days, whereas HSFO requires 4–6 days this week.

By Gautamee Hazarika

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