Biofuel Bunker Snapshot: Biofuel premiums narrow across major ports

Middle East war pushes conventional prices sharply higher

Bunker suppliers in Fujairah suspend deliveries amid attacks

B30 blend offered in new French port

Europe

Brent's price has shot up after the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran, creating a major conflict in the region and Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz, a major oil trade route. This has pushed bunker prices higher across the world.

Rotterdam’s B30-VLSFO (POMEME) price has rallied $98/mt higher in the past week. Meanwhile, the port’s conventional VLSFO price has increased by an even greater $124/mt.

This has narrowed the bio-blend’s premium over the port’s VLSFO price by around $26/mt.

Antwerp’s B30-VLSFO (UCOME) price has surged $165/mt higher in the past week, while its conventional VLSFO price has also gained $122/mt. This has led the B30-blend’s premium over VLSFO to widen by $43/mt.

Prima Markets-assessed ARA POMEME and UCOME barge prices have both increased by $77/mt over this period. These biofuel grades have massively underperformed against a $19/bbl ($139/mt) front-month Brent price rally that has sent VLSFO and especially LSMGO prices flying.

Rotterdam’s B30-VLSFO is now a discount of $95/mt to Antwerp's, which is more than three times the $28/mt discount seen last week.

Unlike Antwerp’s B30-VLSFO (UCOME) price, Rotterdam’s B30-VLSFO (POMEME) price is rebated by Dutch suppliers who can generate ZRE units from advanced biofuel bunker sales. 

Rotterdam's LSMGO price has gained sharply compared to the port’s B30-LSMGO blend price. This has narrowed the blend’s premium over conventional LSMGO by around $90/mt in the last week.

LSMGO premiums over B30-LSMGO have also narrowed sharply in other European ports. Lisbon's is down by $63/mt and Piraeus' by $147/mt.

Gibraltar’s B30-VLSFO (UCOME) price has gained by $98/mt in the past week. The port has faced weather disruptions this week, which has led to supply delays and backlogs, port agent MH Bland said.

Fujairah and Singapore

Fujairah’s VLSFO price has shot up by $190/mt in the past week to narrow its premium over B30-VLSFO (UCOME) by $74/mt.

Several bunker suppliers in Fujairah havesuspended deliveries amid security concerns following Iranian strikes across the UAE. Most suppliers have paused operations due to uncertainty surrounding loadings, as some terminals remain closed.

Singapore’s B30-VLSFO price has increased by $114/mt in the last week, while its conventional VLSFO price has jumped $190/mt higher during the same period. Consequently, the bio-blend’s premium over VLSFO has tightened by $76/mt.

The Prima-assessed UCOME China cargo price - which can influence Singapore’s biofuel bunker prices - has remained unchanged in the past week.

In other biofuel news this week, French energy firm Petroineos has started offering B30 biofuel blends by truck in multiple French ports. The biofuel supplied is a blend of 30% used cooking oil methyl ester (UCOME) and 70% conventional fuels like HSFO, VLSFO or LSMGO.

Bunker supplier Burando Energies said it hasadded a new bunker barge to its fleet that will primarily supply biofuel in the Port of Zeebrugge and also in other northwest European ports.

By Nachiket Tekawade

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