Image Credit: Ship & Bunker / Data Credit: Fujairah Oil Industry Zone / S&P Global Commodity Insights

• Bunker sales drop for the third consecutive month since Iran war
• May sales down 24% from the record April low level
• VLSFO sales down 29.6% on the month
• HSFO sales down 15.1% on the month
• Extremely tight avails drove VLSFO prices higher

Marine fuel sales at Fujairah, the Middle East's largest bunkering hub, fell to a new record low in May as the Iran war continued to dent bunker demand at the UAE port.

A total of 96,721 m3 of marine fuel sales were recorded last month, down by 24% from April’s record low level and by 84.3% from May 2025, according to the latest data from the Fujairah Oil Industry Zone and S&P Global Commodity Insights.

Bunker sales have now fallen for a third consecutive month since the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran in late February.

The conflict has disrupted shipping flows through the Strait of Hormuz, reducing vessel traffic and bunker demand at Fujairah.

While the decline was largely expected as shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained subdued, the data suggests bunkering activity at Fujairah continued despite the lower volumes.

180 CST VLSFO sales slipped by 98% on the year and 63.1% on the month to 200 m3.

Sales of 380 CST VLSFO, Fujairah's most popular bunker grade, plunged 86% year-on-year to record low of 57,382 m3 in May and were down 29.6% from April levels.

380 CST HSFO sales dropped by 80.8% on the year to 31,601 m3 and 15.1% from April volumes

LSMGO sales fell 77.3% year-on-year and 1.6% month-on-month to 7,157 m3, while MGO sales dropped 42.5% year-on-year but rose 421.9% from April to 381 m3.

Fujairah's average VLSFO price in May was $921/mt, up from $783/mt in the previous month and $501.5/mt in May 2025.

Ship & Bunker's G20-VLSFO Index of average prices across 20 leading bunkering ports was $900/mt in May, up from $889.5/mt in the previous month and $529.5/mt last year.

Ship & Bunker had reported earlier this month that extremely low availability of VLSFO had pushed VLSFO prices to a record high in the port.

A tentative US-Iran agreement to end the conflict could boost bunker demand at Fujairah in June if shipping flows through Strait of Hormuz normalise.