Panama July Bunker Sales Gain 12.4% on Year

by Ship & Bunker News Team
Monday August 23, 2021

Bunker demand in Panama climbed on both a yearly and monthly basis in July.

Total sales rose to 378,710 mt last month, according to preliminary data from the Panama Maritime Authority (AMP), climbing from an 11-month low in June. The total was up by 12.4% from a year earlier and by 0.4% from June's level.

The AMP also revised its June data upwards, increasing the total by 5.1% from its preliminary estimate to 377,153 mt.

Global bunker sales are generally expected to see a faltering recovery this year from the lows of last year's COVID-19 crisis, with stops and starts in various parts of the world as lockdown measures are eased or tightened in response to infection levels. Bunker volumes in Singapore last month lost 2.3% from the same time a year earlier and by 1.2% from June's level.

The number of ships coming to Panama to bunker slipped by 1.4% on the month to 555 in July, taking the average stem size up by 1.9% to about 692 mt. Over the previous 12 months the average stem size was about 739 mt.

VLSFO sales dropped by 5.5% from a month earlier to 268,327 mt, while HSFO sales surged by 32.3% to 64,637 mt. HSFO took a 17.1% share of total sales in July, up from 13% a month earlier.

MGO sales jumped by 68.6% on the month to 15,668 mt, while low-sulfur MGO fell by 14.4% to 30,078 mt.