Americas News
Panama July Bunker Sales Drop to 13-Month Low as Bunker Calls Shrink
Marine fuel demand in Panama in July fell to its lowest level since June 2024, as bunker calls declined for the second consecutive month.
Panama's total sales reached 387,152 mt in July, according to preliminary data from the Panama Maritime Authority (AMP). The total was down by 11.3% from a year earlier, by 10.2% from June's level.
Bunker sales in Panama have declined for the fourth consecutive month in July.
July VLSFO sales in Panama inched up 0.7% on the year to 259,478 mt but were 2.8% lower than June's level.
HSFO bunker volumes in July were the lowest since November 2023. Only 86,892 mt was sold in July, down 33.7% on the year and 26.2% from June.
MGO sales dipped by 60.1% on the year, while LSMGO dipped by 0.8%.
HSFO's share of the total bunker sales was 22.4% in July, down from 27.3% in June.
A total of 575 ships arrived to take on bunkers in Panama in July, down from 607 in June and 632 in May. But this figure was up slightly from 573 recorded in July 2024.
The average stem size was 673 mt in July, down from 710 mt in June. So far this year, the average stem size has been about 717 mt.
In July, 28 barges supplied bunker fuels to ships in Panama, which is one less than in June and lower than the 31 barges in July 2024.
A total of 3.12 million mt of bunker fuels was sold in the first seven months of this year, up from 14.8% from the same period last year.
The VLSFO price at Balboa averaged $535/mt in July, according to Ship & Bunker data, down from the $530/mt average level in June.
Ship & Bunker's G20-VLSFO Index of average prices across 20 leading bunkering ports was $553/mt in July, down slightly from $554/mt in June.
