Marine fuel sales at the United Arab Emirates' Fujairah port hit a three-month low in May, data showed, while market sources said they are monitoring the situation in June as conflict flares between Israel and Iran, heightening regional tensions.
Bunker sales, excluding lubricants, totalled 614,296 cubic metres (about 608,000 metric tons) at the Middle Eastern bunker hub in May, based on Fujairah Oil Industry Zone (FOIZ) data published by S&P Global Commodity Insights.
The volumes were down 8.2% from April and by 0.2% from May last year.
High-sulphur marine fuel sales fell 12.9% month-on-month to 164,882 cubic metres. Low-sulphur marine fuel sales, including low-sulphur fuel oils and marine gasoils, slipped 6.4% to 449,414 cubic metres.
The market share of high-sulphur bunkers narrowed to 27% in May, while low-sulphur bunkers widened to 73%.
Suppliers and shipowners of vessels operating in the region are watching developments in the conflict between Iran and Israel, as well as a separate collision between two ships in the Gulf of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz.
British maritime security firm Ambrey reported an incident 22 nautical miles east of Khor Fakkan in the UAE. It said that the cause of the collision was not security-related.
Fujairah bunker sales by month, in cubic metres:
Month | Total Sales | M-o-M | Y-o-Y |
Jan-25 | 628,663 | 3.7% | -6.8% |
Feb-25 | 554,117 | -11.9% | -12.5% |
Mar-25 | 639,811 | 15.5% | -8.7% |
Apr-25 | 669,378 | 4.6% | 4.8% |
May-25 * | 614,296 | -8.2% | -0.2% |
Breakdown of volumes by grade, in cubic metres:
Month | 180cst LSFO | 380cst LSFO | 380cst HSFO | MGO | LSMGO | Lubricants |
Jan-25 | 2,141 | 403,717 | 185,091 | 79 | 37,635 | 4,351 |
Feb-25 | 702 | 382,303 | 142,595 | 341 | 28,176 | 4,183 |
Mar-25 | 1,195 | 432,560 | 168,140 | 128 | 37,788 | 4,991 |
Apr-25 | 885 | 443,509 | 189,388 | 307 | 35,289 | 5,296 |
May-25 * | 9,972 | 407,208 | 164,882 | 662 | 31,572 | 4,454 |
Data source: Fujairah Oil Industry Zone data published by S&P Global Commodity Insights
(1 cubic metre = 6.29 barrels)
(1 metric ton = 6.35 barrels for fuel oil)
(Reuters)