Sales of marine fuel in Singapore, the world's largest bunker hub for ships, rose in the first half of 2026 from the same period last year, official data showed on Tuesday, though biofuel sales weakened.
Demand for vessel refuelling largely stayed robust in Singapore following the US-Iran war, with some ships diverting over from the Middle East when the conflict first broke out, market sources said.
Bunker sales totalled 28.24 million tonnes in January to June this year, up 4.7 per cent from 26.98 million tonnes in the first half of 2025, data from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore showed.
Conventional fuel sales, including residual fuel oils and marine gasoils, totalled 27.50 million tonnes in the first half, up 5.9 per cent from last year.
Stronger high-sulphur marine fuel volumes supported the climb, while low-sulphur volumes held broadly flat to slightly higher.
Market sources said that demand at Singapore did not pick up significantly following the war despite some diversion of vessels from the Middle East.
Ships were trying to call at other ports that could offer cheaper marine fuel during certain weeks, including South Asia and China.
Meanwhile, Singapore's biofuel bunker sales dropped as a delayed carbon price on global shipping dampened demand, while the US-Iran war also drove shippers to secure cheaper fuels and prioritise energy security, market sources said.
Total bio-blended bunker sales fell 45.9 per cent to 418,000 tonnes in the first-half of 2026, compared with 772,500 tonnes during the same period last year.
Meanwhile, liquefied natural gas sales maintained growth, climbing 30.3 per cent to 318,300 tonnes in the first-half.
(Reporting by Jeslyn Lerh; Editing by Diti Pujara)