Sales of marine bunker fuel at the United Arab Emirates' port of Fujairah rebounded in July after a slump in June to their highest in three months, Fujairah Oil Industry Zone data showed.
July sales totalled 640,715 cubic metres (about 635,000 metric tons), up 13.8% from June, based on FOIZ data published by S&P Global Commodity Insights.
The stronger volumes were led by a boost in high-sulphur marine fuel sales, which soared to their highest since January 2024, climbing 28.4% from June to 205,597 cubic metres in July.
A wider price difference between low-sulphur fuel oil and high-sulphur fuel oil likely drove more sales of the high-sulphur variety in July. The front-month hi-5 price spread, which reflects the premium of low-sulphur over high-sulphur fuel oil, hit a six-month high of over $95 a ton near mid-July, LSEG data showed. <FO05-380SGMc1>
Meanwhile, low-sulphur marine fuel sales, including low-sulphur fuel oils and marine gasoils, rose 8.0% to 435,118 cubic metres.
The market share of high-sulphur bunkers widened to 32% in July, while low-sulphur bunkers narrowed to 68%.
Fujairah bunker sales by month, in cubic metres:
