Prompt supply tight in the Gibraltar Strait

HSFO remains tight in Walvis Bay and Lome

Five-day lead times advised for Dakar

IMAGE: Aerial view of the Bay of Gibraltar. Getty Images

Northwest Europe

Prompt deliveries are difficult in the ARA bunkering hub. Buyers are advised to enquire about all fuel types with a week of notice to get competitive offers from a wider selection of suppliers, a trader told ENGINE.

ARA’s independently held fuel oil stocks have declined by 4% from September to October so far, and are now at their lowest monthly average of the year, according to Insights Global data.

Meanwhile, the region’s independent gasoil inventories - which include diesel and heating oil – have gained by 4% between September and October.

Hamburg, Germany’s biggest bunkering hub by port calls, has seen a healthy number of enquiries in the past week, a trader said. Availability is normal, with a notice of 3-5 days enough to get delivery of any fuel grade, the trader added.

In Scandinavia, availability is tight off Denmark’s Skaw and in the Swedish port of Gothenburg, with buyers advised to plan with a 10-day lead time in both locations, a trader told ENGINE.

Mediterranean

Availability in Gibraltar Strait ports remains tight for prompt supplies, with more than two weeks of notice required for HSFO supplies. VLSFO and LSMGO deliveries also need more than a week of lead time, a trader told ENGINE.

Around 37 vessels are expected to call for bunkers at Gibraltar between 22-29 October, according to shipping agent A Matteos & Sons.

Most deliveries in Gibraltar are on time while one supplier may be delayed by around 6-8 hours, port agent MH Bland said. In the neighbouring port of Algeciras, some supplier may be delayed by as much as 18 hours, while some suppliers are running 4-6 hours late in Ceuta, MH Bland added.

In the Canary Islands bunkering hub of Las Palmas, HSFO supply is very tight, with most suppliers requiring around two weeks of lead time to deliver supplies. VLSFO and LSMGO can typically be fixed with a shorter 5-7-day notice, a trader told ENGINE.

High swells of above 1.5 metres are forecast in Las Palmas between 1-6 November, and may lead to some disruptions at the outer anchorage, while operations could still proceed normally at the inner anchorage and at berth.

In the Portuguese port of Lisbon, a 3-5-day notice is enough for deliveries of all fuel types, a source told ENGINE.

Availability is stable in Spain’s Barcelona, with around 5-7 days of lead time required for all fuel types, a trader said.

Fuel availability off Malta remains normal, with lead times of 1-5 days recommended across all grades, except for ULSFO which is in very tight supply, a trader said. Some spells of strong wind gusts and high swells are forecast around Malta on 24 October and between 27-28 October, which may disrupt bunkering in Area 6 and Area 3 and cause some delays.

In Greece’s Piraeus, HSFO, ULSFO and LSMGO fuel types are available with a 2-3-day lead times, while VLSFO supply is very tight, a trader told ENGINE.

Fuel availability in Turkey’s Istanbul is stable for ULSFO and LSMGO with around 1-3 days of recommended lead times, while VLSFO supplies are dry, a local supplier told ENGINE.

Africa

In the Senegalese port of Dakar, VLSFO and LSMGO deliveries are available with a 5-day notice, a source told ENGINE.

In Togo’s Lome and in Namibia’s Walvis Bay, HSFO supplies are extremely tight, a trader told ENGINE. VLSFO and LSMGO supplies can be delivered there with a 5-7-day notice, a trader told ENGINE. Sea conditions are expected to normalise temporarily, with lower swells forecast until 25 October, which may allow for some offshore supplies.

In Nigeria’s Lagos, a lead time of 5-7 days is recommended for deliveries of smaller quantities of VLSFO, HSFO or LSMGO supplies. A longer lead time of around two weeks is typically required for larger quantities above 1,000 mt, a local supplier told ENGINE.

HSFO availability is a bit tight in the South African ports of Durban and Richards Bay, with buyers requested to give around one week of notice for deliveries. VLSFO can be supplied with shorter lead times of 2-3 days in both ports, a trader told ENGINE.

Waves of more than 2.5 metres accompanies by wind gusts of around 25 knots are forecast in Durban between 24-25 October and on 31 October. This could suspend bunkering operations and cause delays.

HSFO supplies will continue to remain tight in Mauritius' Port Louis, a trader said. Buyers are advised to enquire about two weeks ahead for HSFO, while VLSFO and LSMGO can be supplied with a week of notice.

By Nachiket Tekawade

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