Image Credit: Ship & Bunker / Data Credit: MPA

• January total conventional and bunker sales touched 5.18 million mt
• VLSFO sales up 5.3% year-on-year
• HSFO sales jumped by 30.4% on the year to a record high
• Distillate sales up 55.7% on the year
• Bio-blended bunker sales dropped to the lowest level since July 2024
• LNG sales up 30% on the year
• Bunker calls rose 5.5% year-on-year

Marine fuel sales in Singapore, the world's largest bunkering hub, grew on a year-on-year basis in January as HSFO sales rose to a record high.

The city-state's total demand for conventional and biofuels reached 5.18 million mt in January, up by 16.4% from last year, but 5% lower compared to December 2025, according to data released on Monday by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).

Singapore saw a record annual total of marine fuel sales in 2025 of 56.2 million mt. 

Product Breakdown

VLSFO sales touched 2.56 million mt in January, up 5.3% from the January 2025 level, but 9.5% lower than the previous month of December 2025.

HSFO sales jumped by 30.4% on the year to 2.16 million mt in January – the highest since at least 2022. The fuel grade's sales have grown for the second consecutive month and were 2% higher than those of December 2025.

HSFO accounted for 41.6% of January total sales, up from 37.2% a year ago. On the other hand, VLSFO accounted for 49.4% of sales, down from 54.6% a year ago.

Distillate sales jumped by 55.7% on the year in January, but were 2.3% lower than the previous month of December.

Biofuel bunker sales fell sharply in January, the lowest since July 2024.

About 62,300 mt of bio-blended bunkers were sold in January, down 44.2% on the year and 33.8% from the previous month of December. No B100 sales were recorded for the consecutive month of January.

Meanwhile, LNG bunker sales grew on a year-on-year basis, with 42,600 mt sold in January – up 30% from last year, but down 22% from December 2025.

About 300 mt of methanol bunker sales were recorded in January. This is the stem delivered by bunker supplier Golden Island to the methanol-fuelled bulk carrier, Brave Pioneer, owned by Mitsui & Co and chartered by Cargill last month.

Bunker Calls Advance on Both Yearly and Monthly Basis

In January, Singapore saw a total of 3,778 calls for bunkers, up by 5.5% on the year and 1.5% from the previous month of December 2025.

That left the average conventional and biofuel bunker stem size was 1,372.2 mt in January, up from 1,244.4 mt a year ago.

Prices

Singapore's average VLSFO price in January was $449/mt, down from $589.5/mt a year ago.

Ship & Bunker's G20-VLSFO Index of average prices across 20 leading bunkering ports was $476.5/mt in January, down from $604.5/mt a year ago.

Bulkers and Container Visits Increase

Image Credit: Ship & Bunker / Data Credit: MPA

The total gross tonnage visiting Singapore jumped by 8.8% on the year to 293.4 million mt in January.

This growth was primarily driven by the container and bulker segments, with container calls by gross tonnage increasing by 9.8 million mt.

Bulk carrier tonnage calls rose by 5.7 million mt, while tanker tonnage rose by 605 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.