Image Credit: Ship & Bunker / Data Credit: MPA

• Singapore bunker sales across all products totalled a record 37.77 million mt in January-August, up 2.5% on the same period of 2025
• Singapore conventional and biofuel bunker sales reached 4.71 million mt in August, up 0.7% on the month, the highest since March
• HSFO sales rose 7.3% to 2.10 million mt, 44.4% of the total, while VLSFO fell 5.8% to 2.19 million mt
• Biofuel blend sales rose 45% on the month to 57,300 mt but YTD sales of 515,100 mt are half what they were during the same period last year. 
• LNG bunker sales flat on the month at 58,640 mt, down 12.4% on the year
• Bunker calls fell to 3,588, lifting the average stem to 1,313.8 mt

Singapore's conventional and biofuel bunker sales rose for a fourth consecutive month in August, with a shift from VLSFO to HSFO the main feature of a month in which total demand barely moved.

The city-state's total demand for conventional and biofuels in August reached 4.71 million mt, up 0.7% from the previous month of July, but 3.8% lower than August 2025 volumes, according to preliminary data released by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) today.

August sales were the highest since March 2026, when bunker demand surged following the start of the Iran war, and came in just short of that month's 4.72 million mt.

Across all products, including LNG and methanol, Singapore sold 37.77 million mt of bunkers in the first eight months of the year, up 2.5% from 36.86 million mt in the same period of 2025 and the highest January-August total the port has recorded. 

Conventional and biofuel sales alone totalled 37.33 million mt, up by 2.2% from 36.51 million mt recorded in the same period last year, while LNG bunker sales over the eight months rose 23.5% to 435,620 mt.

This all comes despite the closure of the Strait of Hormuz for most of that time and earlier fears of a supply squeeze at the port. 

Still, last year's record 56.77 million mt was built on a strong second half, with December alone reaching 5.51 million mt, so a straight annualisation of this year's first eight months gives 56.65 million mt, fractionally below the record.

If the second half of 2026 instead follows last year's seasonal pattern, 2026 would finish near 58.2 million mt, a fourth consecutive annual record.

Product Breakdown

The month belonged to HSFO. Sales of the grade totalled 2.10 million mt in August, up by 7.3% from the previous month and 10.7% from last year's volumes, the highest monthly total since January.

That gave HSFO 44.4% of conventional and biofuel sales, up from 41.7% in July and 38.6% in August 2025.

VLSFO sales moved the other way, falling to 2.19 million mt in August, down by 5.8% from July and 12.3% on the year.

The swing follows the widening of the VLSFO-HSFO spread in Singapore since the spring, which has restored the fuel-cost advantage for scrubber-fitted ships.

The spread averaged $193/mt in August and has been above $180/mt in every month since June, against $74/mt in September 2025, according to Ship & Bunker data. 

Distillate sales gained on the month to 367,700 mt in August, up 2.3% from July, but down 0.7% on the year.

Marine biofuel blend sales rose sharply in August from a low base, but remained well below last year's levels.

Biofuel blend volumes totalled 57,300 mt in August, up by 45% from the previous month but down 58% on the year, with bio-blended VLSFO accounting for 47,900 mt of the total.

The August biofuel total included just 810 mt of B100 sales, down from 1,360 mt in July.

Overall, biofuel sales for the first 8 months of 2026 total 515,100 mt, half of the 1,028,100 mt sold in the same period last year. 

LNG bunker sales, which this article counts separately from the conventional and biofuel bunker total reported above, were flat in August.

August LNG bunker sales totalled 58,640 mt, unchanged from July's 58,690 mt but down 12.4% from 66,960 mt in August 2025.

No methanol or ammonia bunker sales were recorded in August. Methanol sales have not been recorded since February.

Fewer, Larger Stems

In August, Singapore saw a total of 3,588 calls for bunkers, down by 2.4% from July and 0.6% from last year.

With volumes up and calls down, the average conventional and biofuel bunker stem size rose to about 1,313.8 mt in August, from 1,273.9 mt in the previous month and in line with the 12-month average of 1,315.7 mt.

Prices

Singapore's average VLSFO price in August was $822/mt, according to Ship & Bunker data, compared to $755/mt in July 2026, while the average HSFO price rose to $629/mt from $538/mt in July.

Ship & Bunker's G20-VLSFO Index of average prices across 20 leading bunkering ports was $810/mt in August, up from $760/mt in July.

Tanker Arrivals Down

The total gross tonnage visiting Singapore was up by 1.1% on the year to 280 million GT in August, though 1.1% below July.

Tanker tonnage fell by 3.6% on the year to 82.19 million GT, with oil tanker arrivals down 8.7% by number to 1,542 and gas carrier tonnage down 10.4%, as disruption in the Gulf continued to thin the traffic reaching the port.

Container ships' gross tonnage decreased by 3.2% to 81.12 million GT, while bulk carriers' tonnage rose by 4.8% to 89.19 million GT.