Biofuel Bunker Snapshot: B30 prices gain with conventional fuels

Rotterdam’s B30 price premiums over conventional grades narrow

Rotterdam’s B100 price posts modest drop

Singapore’s bio-bunker sales drop for third month

ARA and Europe

Rotterdam’s ZRE-rebated B30-VLSFO (POMEME) price has increased by $47/mt in the past week, probably influenced by a sharper $89/mt gain in the Dutch port’s conventional VLSFO price.  

A sharp $201/mt increase in the port’s conventional LSMGO price may have influenced the $104/mt price increase in Rotterdam’s B30-LSMGO blend.  

The B30-VLSFO premium over conventional VLSFO has narrowed by $42/mt during the period, while B30-LSMGO premium over LSMGO has dropped by $97/mt.

Meanwhile, Rotterdam’s pure B100 bunker price has seen a $9/mt drop.

Prima Markets-assessed POMEME and UCOME FOB barge prices have seen a $75/mt increase during the past week to $1,748/mt and $1,678/mt, respectively.

Gibraltar’s B30-VLSFO price has seen a sharp $80/mt increase over the last week, supported by a $62/mt increase in the port’s pure VLSFO price.

Lisbon’s price has remained relatively unchanged, consequently flipping it to a $42/mt discount to Gibraltar, compared to a $36/mt price premium seen last week.

Pure B100 price in the Portuguese port has slumped $103/mt in the past week.

Meanwhile, Lisbon’s B30-LSMGO price has increased $44/mt in the last week.

B30-LSMGO price in Greece’s Piraeus has jumped $95/mt during the last week. A $218/mt surge in the port’s conventional LSMGO price may have supported the benchmark.

Singapore

Singapore’s B30-VLSFO (UCOME) price has increased $108/mt in the last week, possibly supported by an $114/mt increase in the port’s conventional VLSFO price.

Prima Markets-assessed China UCOME cargo price, which directly influences the blend price in Singapore, has remained unchanged in the past week at $1,215/mt.

Separately, Singapore sold approximately 1,200 mt/day of bio-bunkers in June, down from around 1,500 mt/day in May.

Bio-blended bunker sales fell sharply for a third consecutive month in June, dropping 25% to a multi-year low of 36,000 mt. Total sales were approximately 77% lower than the 155,000 mt recorded in the same month last year.

In other biofuel news, US-based trader Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) bunkered its bulk carrier MV Harvest Rain with 107 mt of B100 fuel as part of a trial.

Logistics firm DP World will claim emissions reduction from Hapag-Lloyd’s use of UCOME biofuel across its fleet as part of a book-and-claim deal.

By Nachiket Tekawade

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