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Fuel Oil News

01 Apr 2025

LNG Critical to Energy Transition Says Lloyd’s Register

Source: LR

Lloyd’s Register’s (LR) latest Fuel for Thought report states that LNG remains the dominant alternative marine fuel readily available to the shipping industry. The report highlights LNG’s growing adoption, its cost-effectiveness under tightening emissions regulations and the urgent need to address methane slip to ensure its future as a viable low-carbon fuel.Fuel for Thought: LNG reveals a significant resurgence in orders for LNG-capable vessels, with an expanding global fleet and rapidly growing bunkering infrastructure.

24 Mar 2025

Iranian Oil Tankers Used Forged Iraqi Documents, Says Oil Minister

Iranian oil tankers seized by U.S. forces in the Gulf were using forged Iraqi documents, according to Iraq's oil minister. Credit: Adobe Stock/Robert

Iraq's oil minister Hayan Abdel-Ghani has said that Iranian oil tankers seized by U.S. forces in the Gulf were using forged Iraqi documents.The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has restored "maximum pressure" on Iran, reviving a policy that seeks to isolate the country from the global economy and eliminate its oil export revenue in order to slow Tehran's development of a nuclear weapon.Abdel-Ghani was asked if he had received messages from the United States over the…

21 Mar 2025

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Books Order for Three Methanol-Fueled RoRos

(Credit: Mitsubishi Shipbuilding)

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding, a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group, has received additional orders for three methanol-fueled roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) cargo ships from Toyofuji Shipping, Miyazaki Sangyo Kaiun, and Nichitoku Kisen.The three ships will be built at the Enoura Plant of MHI's Shimonoseki Shipyard & Machinery Works in Yamaguchi Prefecture, with scheduled completion and delivery in order from fiscal 2028.The ships will be approximately 168.0 meters in overall length and 30.2 meters in breadth…

18 Mar 2025

MOL Charters Two More VLEC Newbuilds to SCG Chemicals

CG rendering of the vessel (Credit: Samsung Heavy Industries)

MOL Energia, a subsidiary of Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL), has signed long-term charter contracts with SCG Chemicals, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Siam Cement Group (SCG), for two very large ethane carriers (VLECs), to be built in South Korea.The charter for two more VLECs comes in addition to three vessels already contracted by SCG Chemicals in January 2025.Of the approximately 90 dedicated liquefied ethane carriers currently in service or on order worldwide, this deal will…

17 Mar 2025

Fujairah: Bunker Fuel Sales Drop to their Lowest Since '21

Marine fuel sales in the United Arab Emirates' Fujairah fell in February to their lowest since data started being published in 2021. Credit: Adobe Stock/Yellow Boat

Marine fuel sales in the United Arab Emirates' Fujairah, the world's third-largest bunkering hub, fell in February to their lowest since data started being published in 2021. Volumes, excluding lubricants, totalled 554,117 cubic metres (about 549,000 metric tons) for February, showed latest Fujairah Oil Industry Zone (FOIZ) data published by S&P Global Commodity Insights.The decline reflects slower refuelling demand at key bunker ports in the year so far, against a backdrop of global shipping uncertainty.

14 Mar 2025

Singapore Marine Fuel Sales Drop

In February, Singapore marine fuel sales fell to their lowest in 20 months. Credit: Adobe Stock/Creativa Images

Singapore marine fuel sales fell to their lowest in 20 months in February, official data showed on Friday. Volumes at the world's top bunker hub totalled 4.15 million metric tons, down 7.1% month on month and sliding 8.1% year on year, data from Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) showed.Weak demand has weighed on the market since the start of the year, dragging premiums down, trade sources said. Vessel calls for bunkering fell by 14.1% from the prior month to 3,075, hitting two-year lows, data showed.

13 Mar 2025

Dual-Fuel LNG Tractor Tug Delivered to Turkish Owner

Source: Robert Allan Ltd

The 39-metre tug Silivri has been delivered to The BOTAS Petroleum Pipeline Corporation in Turkey.The TRAktor V3900-DF series tug was recently completed at Uzmar Shipyard to a design by Robert Allan Ltd.Silivri is only the second vessel in the world to combine Voith Schneider propulsion with dual-fuel LNG/diesel engines. This unique arrangement has only been combined once before, on her sistership Sultanhani, delivered earlier in the year to the same owner.Equipped with Wärtsilä 6L34DF engines and 32X6 Voith Schneider propellers…

13 Mar 2025

U.S. Targets 'Shadow Fleet', Iran's Oil Minister

The U.S. imposed sanctions on Iran's Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad and some Hong Kong-flagged vessels that are part of a shadow fleet that helps disguise Iranian oil shipments. Credit: Adobe Stock/Yellow Boat

The United States imposed sanctions on Thursday on Iran's Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad and some Hong Kong-flagged vessels that are part of a shadow fleet that helps disguise Iranian oil shipments, the Treasury Department said.President Donald Trumpre-imposed a "maximum pressure" policy on Iran in February that includes efforts to drive its oil exports to zero in order to stop Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and funding militant groups.Paknejad "oversees the export of tens…

27 Feb 2025

"K" Line Secures ‘Zero-Emission Accelerating Ship Finance’

Image Courtesy  "K" LINE

Increasingly, maritime finance is tied to the environmental impact of the asset or project.Under Zero-Emission Accelerating Ship Finance (the Program), which is jointly operated by the Development Bank of Japan Inc. (DBJ) and ClassNK, ClassNK evaluated the LNG-fueled car carrier OCEANUS HIGHWAY (IMO No. 1046049), owned by Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. ("K" LINE). DBJ provided financing to "K" LINE.ClassNK evaluates ships based on a comprehensive scoring model jointly developed with DBJ from the perspective of ‘decarbonization…

24 Feb 2025

Incorrect Valve Led to Deadly Engine Room Fire

Circled area identifying the open section of fuel vent piping (left) and cut out placed back in position after the fire (right). (Source: NTSB)

The installation of an incorrect valve in a pipe to a diesel oil tank led to a fatal fire aboard a cargo vessel docked in LaPorte, Texas, an National Transportation Safety Board shows.On Jan. 8, 2024, a fire broke out in the engine room aboard the cargo vessel Stride during bunkering, or fueling, operations while docked at the Barbours Cut Marine Terminal. The fire self-extinguished after crewmembers shut down all ventilation to the engine room. Two crewmembers died as a result of the fire and one was seriously injured.

20 Feb 2025

Twelve Large Container Ships to Have GTT LNG Fuel Tanks

GTT has received an order from HD Hyundai Heavy Industries to design the cryogenic fuel tanks for 12 new LNG-fuelled container vessels on behalf of a European shipowner.The Mark III Flex membrane tanks will have a capacity of 12,750 cubic metres and the “1 barg” design, which allows an effective operating pressure of up to 1 barg instead of the customary 0.7 barg.The Mark III membrane system is a containment and insulation system directly supported by the ship’s hull structure.

20 Feb 2025

Phillips 66 Leases Floating Storage Vessel in Singapore

(Credit: Maritec Pte Ltd)

The Singapore trading arm of U.S.-based refiner Phillips 66 has recently leased a new floating storage vessel along the Singapore and Malacca Straits for storing fuel oil, market sources told Reuters.The 300,000 metric-tons capacity Southern Emperor is the latest addition to 19 existing fuel oil floating storage vessels along the Straits chartered by various market participants, said sources.So far, Phillips 66 has been partially renting the EM Splendour for fuel oil storage.The Singapore and Malacca Straits are a key location for fuel oil storage in Asia, with traders building inventories of

18 Feb 2025

MAN Methanol Genset Obtains Type Approval

Source: MAN Energy Solutions

MAN Energy Solutions' MAN 7L21/31DF-M (dual fuel-methanol) genset has successfully passed its Type Approval Test in China.The test was carried out in close cooperation with CSSC Marine Power (CMP) – the MAN Energy Solutions licensee – at CMP’s production facility in Zhenjiang and received approval from all major classification societies present at the event.The basis for the new methanol engine concept is the MAN 21/31 Mk II type that is part-load optimized with a world-best specific fuel-oil consumption in the 1–2MW range.

18 Feb 2025

Goltens Signs Distribution Deal SEA-Mate

SEA-Mate® Blending-on-Board (BOB) system. Image courtesy SEA-Mate

Goltens Worldwide announced a new distribution agreement with Denmark's Marine Fluid Technology A/S (MFT) covering MFT’s SEA-Mate Blending-on-Board (BOB) system, SEA-Mate Filter system and other SEA-Mate products across key maritime markets in Singapore, Indonesia, India, the Philippines, and the Middle East including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Qatar.SEA-Mate Blending-on-Board is touted as a revolutionary technology designed for ship owners to rethink their lubrication oil use by recycling and enhancing engine efficiency and reducing operating costs…

17 Feb 2025

MITSUI E&S Commences Full-Scale Ammonia Two-Stroke Testing

Source: Mitsui E&S

MITSUI E&S has announced the beginning of the test phase for the world’s first commercial, two-stroke, dual-fuel ammonia engine. The MAN B&W 7S60ME-LGIA (-Liquid Gas Injection Ammonia) Mk 10.5 prototype engine began its ammonia fuel test-run at MITSUI E&S’s Tamano Factory in Japan.The 60-bore engine will eventually be installed aboard a 200,000-dwt bulk carrier at Imabari Shipbuilding for a joint venture between “K” LINE, NS United and ITOCHU Corp. It also features MAN Energy…

12 Feb 2025

Marine Fuel Sales Soar After Red Sea Diversions

Copyright Kalyakan/AdobeStock

Global marine fuel sales jumped in 2024 after attacks by Yemen's Houthis starting in late 2023 prompted most shipping companies to divert vessels around southern Africa rather than through the Red Sea, according to data and analysts.Singapore bunker volumes logged fresh highs of 54.92 million metric tons in 2024, or about 955,000 barrels per day (bpd), while sales at United Arab Emirates' Fujairah posted the first annual uptick after a downtrend for several years.Rotterdam marine fuel sales rose 12% in the first quarter of 2024 to 2.16 million tons, or about 38,000 bpd from the previous three

11 Feb 2025

Singapore Leads Table-Top Oil Spill Response Exercise

Source: ITOPF

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has conducted a table-top exercise with Indonesia and Malaysia to enhance regional coordination and strengthen response capabilities for oil spills. The exercise brought together over 20 representatives from MPA, Indonesia’s Directorate General of Sea Transportation, Malaysia’s Environment Department, and oil spill response experts from ITOPF.As part of Singapore’s chairmanship of the Revolving Fund Committee (RFC) from April 2022 until March 2027, MPA led the exercise to foster collaboration.

09 Feb 2025

Ship Runs Aground off Sakhalin Island

© Olga / Adobe Stock

A district in Russia's Sakhalin region has been put on high alert after a Chinese cargo ship ran aground off the southwest coast of the Sakhalin Island, the governor of the region in Russia's Far East said early on Sunday.The Chinese bulk carrier An Yang 2 is reported to have 20 crew members and 700 tons of fuel oil onboard as well as 100 tons of diesel fuel and 1,000 tons of coal.No fuel spillage was recorded and there was no threat to the crew, but the situation required readiness for any scenario…

20 Jan 2025

Chemical Bunkering Tanker Ordered

Fratelli Cosulich Group placed an order for another 7,999 dwt IMO2 chemical bunkering tanker at Taizhou Maple Leaf Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., which when delivered in Q4 '26 will bring the company's total number of methanol-ready barges to four.This newbuild vessel is designed to carry fuel oil, biofuels up to B100 and methanol. The delivery of this methanol-ready vessel is scheduled for Q4 2026.

24 Jan 2025

MOL Picks Up Long-Term Charter for Three VLECs with Thai Firm

Rendering of VLEC vessel (Credit: Samsung Heavy Industries)

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has signed a long-term charter contract for three newbuilding very large ethane carriers (VLECs) with SCG Chemicals, a wholly owned subsidiary of Thailand's Siam Cement Group (SCG).The 100,000 m3 VLECs, spanning 230 meters in lengths and with breadths of 36.6 meters, will be built at Samsung Heavy Industries, and are scheduled for delivery in 2027.The vessels will be equipped with dual-fuel ethane propulsion engines, which will reduce greenhouse gas, sulfur oxide…

24 Jan 2025

Sulmara Assists Fuel Recovery Op from Typhoon-Struck Cargo Ship

Aerial view of recovery operation (Credit: Dong Fang Offshore)

Scottish subsea specialist Sulmara has supported a major fuel recovery operation from typhoon-struck cargo ship in shallow waters off Taiwan.At the request of the Taiwanese government, Sulmara mobilized a WAM-V 16 uncrewed surface vehicle (USV) and a team of survey specialists to assist in the emergency fuel recovery operation for the heavy transport vessel, Yu Zhou Qi Hang.The operation was launched to help salvage cargo from the heavy transport vessel which ran aground with almost 300 t of fuel oil on board during one of the worst typhoons to hit Taiwan in decades.The 143-meter-long vessel…

03 Feb 2025

Sanmar Secures Landmark Tug Contract with New Bulgarian Client

Copyright_SANMAR

SANMAR signed a contract with PORT FLOT – BURGAS, one of Bulgaria’s leading towage companies, to build a multi-purpose tug to join its fleet, providing services in the Bay of Burgas.The new tugboat will be one of the Turkish tug-builder and operator’s Boğaçay Series and to be known as BOĞAÇAY LXXXI while under construction. It will be based on the exclusive-to-SANMAR RAmparts 2400SX-MKII design from Canadian naval architect Robert Allan Ltd.PORT FLOT - BURGAS has more than 35 years of tradition in the maritime business at Burgas Port…

04 Feb 2025

WinGD Debuts On-Engine SCR

Source: WinGD

WinGD will be deploying its on-engine NOx reduction solution ed for the first time on commercial engines after securing type approval.The integrated Selective Catalytic Reduction (iSCR) solution was tested at Mitsui E&S DU (MESDU) Co’s factory in Aioi, Japan, where three WinGD 5X52-S2.0 engines are being built for bulk carriers under construction at a Japanese shipyard.The type approval follows more than two years of service experience with a prototype version. The latest iteration features reduced material and production costs…

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