Rotterdam bio-bunker sales fell sharply on the quarter
Bio-bunker sales down 35% on the quarter
Bio-methanol demand resurfaces
LBM sales up 28% on the quarter
Changes between the fourth quarter of 2025 and the first quarter of 2026:
- Bio-VLSFO sales down by 34,000 mt to 63,000 mt
- Bio-HSFO sales down by 3,000 mt to 5,000 mt
- Total bio-MGO sales down by 11,000 mt to 20,000 mt
- Bio-ULSFO sales down by 9,000 mt to 17,000 mt
- Bio-methanol sales up by 1,000 to 1,000 mt
- LBM sales up by 1,500 mt to 7,000 mt
Rotterdam’s bio-blended bunker sales fell by 35% between the fourth quarter of 2025 and in the first quarter of 2026, according to the port authority’s data.
Bio-HSFO, bio-VLSFO, bio-ULSFO and bio-MGO volumes all fell by 35-36% on the quarter. Notably, liquefied biomethane (LBM) sales increased by 28%, and bio-methanol sales rose from nothing to 1,000 mt.
Sales mostly gaining on the year
But total bio-bunker sales were still 3% higher than the same quarter a year earlier.
Bio-bunker sales made up around 6% of total volumes sold in the port in the first quarter, mostly unchanged from last year.
Bio-ULSFO sales almost doubled compared to the same quarter last year. Bio-VLSFO and bio-MGO sales also gained on the year, rising by 28% and 10%, respectively.
Bio-HSFO sales bucked the trend and dropped 83% on the year, to just 5,000 mt.
Bio-methanol sales were down by 82% on the year, from the 4,500 mt sold in the first quarter of 2025.
Middle East war demand dent?
Market volatility and uncertainty caused by the Iran war and Strait of Hormuz blockage could have weighed on bunker demand in the Dutch port in March, the port authority said.
Meanwhile, data this week showed Singapore’s bio-blended bunker sales rose by 1% from the shorter month of February, to 92,000 mt in March.
For the January-March period, Singapore's biofuel bunker sales reached 244,000 mt, down from 361,000 mt recorded during the same period last year.
By Nachiket Tekawade
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