Asia/Pacific News
ANALYSIS: Singapore August Bunker Sales Climb 8.5% Year-on-Year
Marine fuel sales in Singapore, the world's largest bunkering hub, rose for the second consecutive month in August.
The city-state's total conventional and biofuel demand reached 4.90 million mt in August, up by 8.5% on the year and by 0.5% from July's level, according to the latest data from the Maritime and Port Authority (MPA).
If the total from the first eight months of the year were to be replicated over the rest of 2025, this year's total for Singapore would reach 54.77 million mt, up by 0.5% from 2024's record high.
Product Breakdown
VLSFO sales reached a 10-month high in August, with 2.50 million mt sold, representing a 2.3% increase compared to last year and a 5.4% rise from July's level.
HSFO sales rose by 11.6% on the year, reaching 1.89 million mt in August, but were 3.7% lower compared to the record high in July.
Distillate sales jumped by 20.7% on the year but were 11.8% lower than July's level.
On the other hand, biofuel blends sales grew by 12.5% on the month to 135,200 mt in August and were double from August 2024 volumes.
HSFO's share of the total bunker sales was 38.6% in August, up from 37.5% a year ago. Meanwhile, VLSFO's share of the total shrank from 54.2% to 51.1%.
Separately, LNG bunker sales rose to a record high of 67,000 mt in August – up by 46.9% on the year and 61.4% from July.
No methanol or ammonia sales were recorded in August.
About 4,800 mt of B100 was sold in August, up from 2,600 mt in July and 1,000 mt in June.
Bunker Calls Advance on Yearly Basis
The number of vessels arriving at Singapore for bunkering increased on a yearly basis, but fell marginally on a monthly basis.
A total of 3,608 vessels came to Singapore's waters to bunker in August, up by 2% on the year and about 1.2% lower than July's level.
That left the average conventional and biofuel bunker stem size last month at about 1,358 mt, compared with an average over the previous 12 months of 1,321 mt.
Prices
Singapore's average VLSFO price in August was $505/mt, down from $524/mt in July.
Ship & Bunker's G20-VLSFO Index of average prices across 20 leading bunkering ports was $534.4/mt in August, down from $552.8/mt in July.
Container Visits Increase
The total gross tonnage visiting Singapore jumped by 5.9% on the year to 277.06 million mt in August.
This growth was primarily by the container segment, with container calls by gross tonnage increasing by 8.87 million mt.
Tanker tonnage rose by 2.06 million mt, while bulk carrier tonnage calls saw a more modest increase of 1.20 million mt.
The mandatory mass flow meter systems used to measure all bunker deliveries in Singapore come with a +/-0.5% margin of error, a level considered more accurate than traditional measurementsystems used at most other ports, with the added benefit of all but eliminating volumetric malpractice.
Only licensed companies can supply bunkers in Singapore, and the MPA calculates sales based on the bunker delivery notes of those companies.
