Antwerp-Bruges bunker sales rise 5% on the quarter as VLSFO jumps

Antwerp-Bruges sold 2.16 million mt of bunker fuel in the third quarter, up 5% from 2.05 million mt in the second, port authority data shows.

That was the port’s highest quarterly volume since the first quarter of last year.

Antwerp-Bruges also sold more bunker fuel than Rotterdam in the third quarter.

Port of Rotterdam data showed that suppliers there sold 1.8 million mt of conventional fuels, up 10% on the quarter. Rotterdam’s bio-bunker sales fell 38% to 154,000 mt. That put Rotterdam’s total bunker sales at around 1.95 million mt.

VLSFO sales jumped 25% from the second quarter to 675,000 mt. That made VLSFO the port’s most sold fuel grade again, with a 31% share of all volumes, up from 26% in the second quarter.

HSFO, the best-selling grade in the second quarter, slipped to second place. Its sales fell 4% to 631,000 mt, and its share of total volumes dropped to 29% from 32%.

ULSFO sales dipped 3% to 160,000 mt. Their share of total volumes edged down to 7% from 8%.

Combined fuel oil sales, which include unspecified fuel oil, rose 7% on the quarter to 1.71 million mt, from 1.60 million mt. Fuel oil made up 79% of total third-quarter volumes, up from 78%.

Gasoil sales rose 4% from the second quarter to 349,000 mt. Gasoil’s share of total volumes held steady at 16%.

74,000 mt of LNG was bunkered in the port in the third quarter, down 3% from 77,000 mt in the second quarter.

Comparatively, Rotterdam’s LNG sales fell much more sharply, dropping 21% on the quarter to 97,000 mt.

Antwerp-Bruges has sold 241,000 mt of LNG in the first nine months of this year. This is 30% more than the LNG bunkers sold in the same period last year.

The port needs just over 18,000 mt more LNG bunkering to be carried out in the fourth quarter to beat last year’s record full-year total of 259,000 mt.

Meanwhile, biofuel bunker sales slumped 50% from the second quarter to 13,000 mt, from 27,000 mt.

By Nachiket Tekawade

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