Maersk 2025 Bunker Demand Heads for 3.4% Drop

The drop is likely due to the firm's improvement in bunker efficiency. Image Credit: Ship & Bunker / Data Credit: Maersk

Container shipping firm AP Moller-Maersk's 2025 bunker consumption is heading for a 3.4% decline on the year.

Maersk's fleet has consumed about 8.16 million mt of bunker fuels in the first nine months of this year, about 3.8% lower compared to 8.48 million mt for the same period last year, as per the interim quarterly report for Q3 released on Thursday.  

Annualising that figure to cover the whole of 2025 would give a total of 10.88 million mt, down by 3.4% from the high of 11.26 million mt in 2024.

Maersk is one of the world's largest consumers of bunker fuel.

Maersk's average bunker price for the first nine months was $548/mt, down from $625/mt for the same period last year.

The firm used a total of 2.73 million mt of marine fuels in Q3 2025, up by 0.1% from the previous quarter, but down by 3.2% from the same period a year earlier.

Improved operational and bunker efficiency likely led to lower quarterly bunker consumption.

The firm consumed 34.1 g of marine fuel per TEU per nautical mile in Q3, down from 36.3 g/TEU*NM a year earlier, reflecting a 6.1% improvement in fuel efficiency.

Maersk says the higher quarterly operating cost was partially offset by lower bunker spending.

The firm’s average bunker price for Q3 was $538/mt, down from $615/mt a year ago.

"Compared to the same period last year, loaded volumes grew by 7.0%, driven by Asian exports, while the average loaded freight rate was 31% lower across most trades," the company said.

"As expected, higher volumes led to higher operating costs, which were partly offset by the lower average bunker price of 13% and the optimised bunker consumption, which was reduced by 3.2%, despite the increased volumes."

Maersk's Q3 bunker consumption fell by 3.2% on the year. Image Credit: Ship & Bunker / Data Credit: Maersk