Americas News
Panama June Bunker Demand Loses 11% on Month
Bunker demand in Panama dropped by 11% on the month in June to the lowest level since July 2020.
Total sales fell to 358,827 mt last month, according to preliminary data from the Panama Maritime Authority (AMP), the lowest level since July 2020. The total was down by 11% from May's level, but up by 18.7% from June 2020.
The AMP also heavily revised its data for May, cutting the total by 12.3% to 403,235 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 gained 7.4% from the same time a year earlier and by 1% from May's level.
The number of ships coming to Panama to bunker slipped by 4.1% on the month to 516 in June, taking the average stem size down by 7.2% to about 695 mt. Over the previous 12 months the average stem size was about 738 mt.
VLSFO sales dropped by 5.6% from a month earlier to 268,490 mt, while HSFO sales sank by 38.2% to 48,843 mt. HSFO took a 13.6% share of total sales in June, down from 19.6% a month earlier.
MGO sales declined by 27.4% on the month to 6,358 mt, while low-sulfur MGO rose by 13.3% to 35,136 mt.
