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 tonnes) at the Middle Eastern bunker hub in May, based on Fujairah Oil Industry Zone (FOIZ) data published by SP Global Commodity Insights.
The volumes were down 8.2 per cent from April and by 0.2 per cent from May last year.
High-sulphur marine fuel sales fell 12.9 per cent month-on-month to 164,882 cubic metres. Low-sulphur marine fuel sales, including low-sulphur fuel oils and marine gasoils, slipped 6.4 per cent to 449,414 cubic metres.
The market share of high-sulphur bunkers narrowed to 27 per cent in May, while low-sulphur bunkers widened to 73 per cent.
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.
(Reporting by Jeslyn Lerh; Editing by Jan Harvey)