Image Credit: Ship & Bunker / Data Credit: AMP

• April Panama sales down 2.3% from a multi-month high in March
• VLSFO sales up 16.6% on the year
• HSFO sales lowest since January 2026
• LSMGO sales up 9.3% on the year
• Bunker calls rose 8.3% year-on-year

Panama's total bunker sales in April were higher than the volume recorded a year ago, according to preliminary data from the Panama Maritime Authority (AMP) released last week.

A total of 486,461 mt of conventional bunker fuel was sold in April, up 6% from April 2025, but 2.3% lower than the previous month of March.

318,940 mt of VLSFO was sold in April, 16.6% higher than volumes in April 2025, but 0.5% lower than March volumes.

HSFO sales dropped to a three-month low in April.

About 104,990 mt of HSFO was sold in April, down 21.3% on the year and 12.7% from the previous month of March.

HSFO accounted for 21.6% of total bunker sales in April, down slightly from 29% a year earlier.

LSMGO sales grew by 9.3% on the year and MGO sales jumped by 147.8%.

A total of 679 bunker calls were recorded in April, up from 627 recorded last year, but lower than 696 in March.

No bio-blended bunker sales have been recorded since November 2025.

31 barges supplied bunker fuels in April, one less compared to 30 last year.

The average stem size in Panama last month was about 716 mt, compared to an average over the previous 12 months of about 708 mt.

A total of 1.92 million mt of marine fuel was sold in the first four months of this year, up by 3.8% from 1.85 million mt sold in the same period last year.

The average VLSFO price in Balboa was $929.5/mt last month, according to Ship & Bunker pricing data, up from $498.5/mt last year.

Ship & Bunker's G20-VLSFO Index of average prices across 20 leading bunkering ports was $889.5/mt in April, up from $531/mt last year.