Singapore's marine bunker sales recovered in May after a slump the previous month, logging a two-month high as vessel calls picked up, official data showed on Monday.
Bunker sales at the world's largest ship refuelling hub totalled 4.55 million tonnes in May, up 4.5 per cent from April, though 6.8 per cent lower than May last year, data from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore showed.
Vessel calls for bunkering rose 7.3 per cent month-on-month to 3,690 calls in May, while container throughput gained 4.9 per cent to 3.94 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU).
Sales were steady to higher for key conventional fuels. Volumes of mainstay delivered 0.5 per cent low-sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) climbed 4.7 per cent from April to 2.29 million tonnes in May, while high-sulphur marine fuel volumes held flat at 1.79 million tonnes. Supply remained available for prompt delivery dates, which in turn capped bunker margins, market sources said.
Meanwhile, marine gasoil sales rebounded after a sharp decline in April as cargo availability improved and outright prices softened. Volumes of marine gasoil sold totalled 328,200 tonnes, up 28.2 per cent month-on-month.
For alternative fuels, liquefied natural gas bunker sales reached a fresh monthly high, up 65.6 per cent from April to 70,300 tonnes in May. In contrast, bio-blended marine fuel sales softened, totalling 60,800 tonnes, down 18.4 per cent from the previous month.
(Reporting by Jeslyn Lerh; Editing by Ronojoy Mazumdar)