Demand for bunkers mixed at Indian ports in Dec

Demand for bunker fuels at India's west coast ports varied in December, with Kandla achieving record volumes while Kochi remained stable. East Coast ports reported sluggish demand due to tight product availability.

Strong demand in Kandla

"We achieved the highest sales volumes for December in 2025, reaching 56,500 mt. Earlier, we achieved similar volumes in August 2024, which was 57,000," a Kandla-based source close to Indian Oil Corp. told Platts, part of S&P Global Energy, on Jan. 9. "The inquiry volumes were good. Markets had dropped, and players were looking for Indian products because they get competitive pricing here. Our prices work on an average basis. Even now, the prices are lower."

Platts assessed marine fuel oil 0.5% delivered to Mumbai at $455/mt on Jan. 8, up $1/mt since the start of the week. In Singapore, Platts marine fuel 0.5% FOB cargoes rose $10.13/mt to close at $413.49/mt on Jan. 9. Marine fuel oil 0.5% delivered to Colombo was assessed at $475/mt, down $2/mt since the beginning of the week.

Market participants said Hindustan Petroleum Corp. had started supplying high sulfur fuel oil at the ports of Kandla, Sikka and Vadinar.

"In December, demand reached an all-time high at Kandla compared to other months," a Kandla-based trader said. "HPCL has started supplying HSFO at Kandla, Sikka, Vadinar, and Tuna ports. Currently, HSFO is available only through tank trucks, although barge supplies are also possible."

Demand at Hazira and Dahej ports remained stable throughout the month, with traders reporting "a decent number of inquiries" in the region, supported by "good" product availability and "no supply constraints."

Bunker volumes stable at Kochi

Market participants reported that demand remained stable month-over-month in Kochi, although some suppliers were experiencing stock shortages.

"December was good for us. We exhausted our stock as there was tightness in availabilities from IOCL and HPCL during the first weeks," a Kochi-based supplier told Platts. "We achieved volumes of over 8,000 mt. However, after Dec. 15, inquiry volumes were low because of the Holidays."

"At Cochin, there was no very low sulfur fuel availability at the start of December due to a scarcity of cargoes. However, supply normalized by mid-December, with ample gasoil available throughout the month," a Dubai-based physical supplier on India's west coast said. "HSFO was scarce during the first 10 to 12 days, but limited volumes are now available from all refineries, including HPCL and IOCL."

East coast India demand sluggish

Ports along the east coast of India experienced mixed demand in December, with Haldia and Tuticorin witnessing a decline in volumes due to limited inquiries and the start of the holiday season. While Visakhapatnam saw an adequate demand for HSFO, some players had to cancel nominations due to a delay in the arrival of product replenishments from a local refinery.

"At Haldia, the refinery supplied nearly 10,000 mt in December, a decrease compared to the previous month," a Visakhapatnam-based trader told Platts. "This was primarily due to no inquiries at the beginning of the week; inquiries only began to arrive after Dec. 20. Overall, supply availability is sufficient, but demand has been lower than in November, and there have been no significant changes in production activity."

"The demand fluctuated in Visakhapatnam, but the demand for HSFO remained stable. However, some players lost nearly 2,000 mt in volumes due to nomination cancellations from the refinery, as the product failed to arrive on time," said another east coast India-based trader.

According to market participants, Chennai experienced "limited" volumes in December as shipowners and charterers "preferred" to bunker at Colombo amid competitive pricing. Similarly, supplies at New Mangalore decreased as some volumes were diverted to Cochin, which is outside port limits. Tuticorin also experienced low demand, supplying amid fewer inquiries.

However, Paradip reported a stable demand for last month.

"December was good. Our commercial volume was 6000 mt and combined volumes reached 8,000 mt," a Paradip-based supplier said. "We are planning a system upgrade. The pipeline for VLSFO, where we used to have frequent problems, we're commissioning a new pipeline parallel to it and additional tankages by mid-February."

January outlook

While market participants reported a weaker start to January, the outlook for the month appears positive, with Indian traders and suppliers anticipating a volume recovery due to strong supply availability.

"The first week was dull, but overall, January should go well. We hope to see more inquiries, as right now players have kept inquiries on hold due to expectations of lower prices. There are no plans for maintenance right now, so supplies are expected to remain robust," a source close to IOC told Platts.

"January started very bleak. I have spoken to a couple of traders, and since the 5th, traders have been back. We're hoping the market will pick up from the 15th onwards. In January, we will have sufficient product, and there is no plant maintenance expected at the Bombay refinery," a source close to Bharat Petroleum Corp. said.

"We're expecting a noticeable increase in regular demand starting in mid-January," a Visakhapatnam-based trader said.