Asia/Pacific News
ANALYSIS: Singapore May Bunker Sales Rose to 16-Month High
Marine fuel sales in Singapore, the world's largest bunkering hub, rose to their highest level in 16 months in May.
The city-state's total conventional and biofuel demand reached 4.83 million mt in May, up by 1.1% on the year and by 10.7% from April's level, according to the latest data from the Maritime and Port Authority.
If the total from the first five months of the year were to be replicated over the rest of 2025, this year's total for Singapore would reach 53.27 million mt, down by 2.2% from 2024's record high.
Product Breakdown
VLSFO sales increased by 9.7% on the month to 2.4 million mt in May, HSFO sales jumped by 11.3% to 1.89 million mt – breaking the previous highs of 1.87 million mt recorded in December 2024.
Distillate sales increased by 9.3% on the month, while biofuel blends grew by 26.8% to 140,900 mt.
HSFO's share of the total was 40.3%, up from 36.8% the same month a year earlier.
Separately, LNG bunker sales increased by 7.1% on the month to 45,000 mt – the most since December 2024 but were down by 7.7% on the year.
No methanol or ammonia sales were recorded in May.
Singapore has been including columns for biofuel blends, LNG and methanol sales since June 2023, and added columns for B100 and ammonia at the start of 2025.
About 1,900 mt of B100 was sold in May, up from 300 mt recorded in April.
Bunker Calls Advance
The number of vessels calling at Singapore to bunker advanced on a yearly basis in May.
A total of 3,637 vessels came to Singapore's waters to bunker last month, up by 2.9% on the year and about 3.8% from April's level.
That left the average conventional and biofuel bunker stem size last month at about 1,329 mt, compared with an average over the previous 12 months of 1,305 mt.
Prices
Singapore's average VLSFO price in May was $511/mt, down from $502/mt in April.
Ship & Bunker's G20-VLSFO Index of average prices across 20 leading bunkering ports lost 0.5% on the month to $529/mt in May.
Container Visits Jump
The total gross tonnage visiting Singapore jumped by 3.1% on the year to 275.64 million mt in May.
This advance was led by the container segment, where calls by gross tonnage gained 10.5 million mt. Bulker rose by 2.1 million mt, while tanker tonnage calls declined by 8.13 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 measurement systems 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.
