Rotterdam’s conventional bunker sales rebound 10% from previous quarter

VLSFO and ULSFO post steepest quarterly gains since 2021

MGO sales see limited gain

LNG sales slip 21% from the second quarter

Changes between the second quarter and the third quarter of 2026:

• HSFO sales up by 50,000 mt to 755,000 mt
• VLSFO sales up by 73,000 mt to 427,000 mt
• MGO sales up by 18,000 mt to 349,000 mt
• ULSFO sales up by 42,000 mt to 165,000 mt
• LNG sales down by 26,000 mt to 97,000 mt
• No grey methanol sales

Bunker suppliers in Rotterdam sold 1.8 million mt of conventional marine fuels in the third quarter of this year, up 10% from the second quarter, according to data from Port of Rotterdam.

Volumes in the second quarter of this year had fallen to their lowest level since the port’s records began in 2010.

Conventional fuels sales' share as a percentage of the port's total bunker sales rose to 92% in the third quarter, from 87% in the second quarter.

Fuel oil grades lead recovery

HSFO remained Rotterdam’s best-selling conventional fuel grade, accounting for 42% of conventional bunker sales, and 39% of total sales.

HSFO sales rose 7% from the previous quarter to 755,000 mt.

VLSFO sales jumped 21% from the previous quarter to 427,000 mt, the grade’s steepest quarterly gain since 2021. VLSFO accounted for 24% of conventional bunker sales.

ULSFO sales surged 34% from the previous quarter to 165,000 mt, also its steepest quarterly gain since 2021. The grade made up 9% of conventional fuel sales.

MGO sales rose 5% from the previous quarter to 349,000 mt, accounting for 19% of conventional fuel sales.

Nine-month sales well below last year

Rotterdam’s conventional bunker sales fell 26% year-on-year to 5.1 million mt in the first nine months of 2026, from 6.9 million mt in the same period last year.

VLSFO sales dropped the most, falling 42% to 1.2 million mt. HSFO sales declined 21% to 2.1 million mt.

LNG bucking the trend

LNG bunker sales fell 21% from the previous quarter to 97,000 mt.

LNG’s share of Rotterdam’s total bunker sales slipped to 5%, from 7% in the second quarter.

LNG sales dropped 35% in the third quarter, compared to the same quarter last year.

Rotterdam recorded 324,000 mt of LNG sales in the first three quarters, down 10% compared to the same period last year.

By Nachiket Tekawade

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