Fujairah VLSFO supply improves while LSMGO and HSFO stay limited

ENGINE's East of Suez update for 6 November says VLSFO availability in Fujairah has got better, according to a regional source. That comes even though ship movements through the Strait of Hormuz are still disrupted by US-Iran tensions. The picture for other grades is weaker: LSMGO and HSFO supplies in the port are still limited.

Prices moved in different directions on the day. Fujairah VLSFO fell, while HSFO there posted the biggest rise of the three main Asian hubs and LSMGO also climbed sharply. As a result, the gap between HSFO and VLSFO in Fujairah narrowed, though it is still wider than in Singapore or Zhoushan. For scrubber ships, the saving from burning HSFO in Fujairah is smaller than a day earlier but still larger than at the other two hubs.

Other Middle East and Red Sea ports look tight too. A Middle East-based source told ENGINE that supply at Ras Laffan in Qatar is restricted and that Port Suez in Egypt has low bunker inventories. Availability across the main grades in Djibouti also remains limited.

For a buyer, the practical point is grade by grade. A VLSFO stem in Fujairah looks easier to place now. Ships that need LSMGO or HSFO in the region should check availability before fixing a date, allow extra notice, and keep a second port in the plan in case the first option cannot cover the full quantity.