Image Credit: Ship & Bunker / Data Credit: MPA

• Singapore bunker sales fell 0.8% month on month and 0.9% year on year to 4.67 million mt in September.
• Sales in the first nine months of 2026 rose 1.8% year on year to 41.97 million mt, driven by a 10.4% increase in HSFO sales.
• Biofuel blend sales fell 48% year on year to 598,300 mt in January-September, while LNG bunker sales rose 21.4% to 487,100 mt.
• 3,617 bunker calls in September, up 2.8% year on year, while the average stem size fell to 1,292.5 mt.
• Singapore's average VLSFO price rose to $870/mt in September, up from $822.50/mt in August and $491/mt a year earlier.

Singapore bunker sales fell both month on month and year on year in September, ending a four-month growth streak that began in May.

The city-state's total demand for conventional and biofuels in September reached 4.67 million mt, down 0.8% from the previous month of August and 0.9% from September 2025 volumes, according to data released by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) yesterday. 

Despite the September decline, bunker sales for the first nine months of 2026 remained higher than a year earlier, with demand increasing after the Iran war began in late February.

In the first nine-months of this year, Singapore sold 41.97 million mt of conventional and biofuel bunkers, up by 1.8% from 41.23 million mt for the same period last year.

The increase was largely driven by higher HSFO sales, which rose 10.4% to 17.58 million mt from 15.92 million mt a year earlier.

HSFO accounted for 41.9% of total conventional and biofuel bunker sales for year to date, compared to 38.6% for the same period last year. 

In contrast, VLSFO sales fell 2% to 20.63 million mt from 21.05 million mt.

Biofuel blend sales declined 48% year on year to 598,300 mt in the first nine months of 2026, down from 1.15 million mt in the same period last year.

LNG bunker sales moved in the opposite direction, rising 21.4% to 487,100 mt from 401,200 mt a year earlier.

Product Breakdown

VLSFO sales totalled 2.22 million mt in September, up 1.1% from August but down 5.9% year on year.

HSFO sales, meanwhile, fell 4.9% month on month to 1.99 million mt, although volumes remained 6.4% higher than in September 2025.

Distillate sales rose on both a monthly and annual basis, increasing 3.3% from August and 1.6% year on year to 379,900 mt.

Biofuel blend sales also increased month on month, rising 44.9% to 83,200 mt, their highest level since March 2026. However, volumes remained 30.3% lower than a year earlier.

LNG bunker sales bucked the monthly trend, falling 12.1% from August to 51,500 mt, although volumes were still 6.2% higher year on year.

September Bunker Calls Rise

In September, Singapore saw a total of 3,617 calls for bunkers, up by 2.8% from last year and 0.8% from August figures.

That left the average conventional and biofuel bunker stem size at about 1,292.5 mt in September, down from 1,313.9 mt in the previous month and from a 12-month average of 1,311 mt.

Prices

Singapore's average VLSFO price in September was $870/mt, according to Ship & Bunker prices, compared to $491/mt last year and $822.5/mt in August 2026.

Image Credit: Ship & Bunker / Data Credit: MPA

Ship & Bunker's G20-VLSFO Index of average prices across 20 leading bunkering ports was $862.5/mt in September, up from $523/mt last year and $810/mt in August.

Calls by Tonnage Rose in September

The total gross tonnage visiting Singapore was up by 4.4% on the year to 277 million GT in September.

Container ships’ gross tonnage increased by 3.4% to 82.16 million GT, while tanker tonnage rose by 3.4% to 79.3 million GT.

Bulk carriers' gross tonnage was up 4.4% to 88.56 million GT.

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.