Middle East bunker activity mixed in November

Bunker fuel availability in Fujairah was firm across all grades in November, according to traders and suppliers in the Middle East.

"Cargo was consistently available. November bunker demand dipped as dry bulk trading operators, already on thin margins, felt the impact of new tariffs," one Dubai-based trader told Platts, part of S&P Global Energy.

Total bunkering and ship-to-ship calls at Fujairah slid almost 11% in November to 1,738 from 1,946 calls in October, according to S&P Global Commodities at Sea data.

Platts assessed marine fuel 0.5% delivered Fujairah down $9.94/mt across November to close the month at $446.65/mt, also representing a $4.30/mt discount to Singapore levels.

"In Oman, no major changes in daily operations and vessel arrivals were generally stable in November. There is a growing movement toward alternative fuels. Our marine gasoil supplies rose marginally around 660 mt to reach 5,600 mt in November, favored by smooth operations", an Oman-based supplier said.

Platts assessed average low-sulfur marine gasoil delivered Salalah for November at $865.95/mt on Dec. 1, up $19.73/mt on the month.

Oman and Spain plan to develop a green-methanol bunkering hub in Dhofar Governorate, under a memorandum of understanding signed between Oman's Ministry of Transport and Information Technology and a consortium including HIF EMEA, ACCIONA & Nordex Green Hydrogen and Al MEERA Investment, according to a statement from the ministry Nov. 6.

Meanwhile, Iraq's southern ports experienced robust activity in November, driven by steady crude exports, smooth terminal operations, and stable regional trade flows, according to the local supplier.

"Al Basra Oil Terminal (ABOT) recorded 300–315 vessel calls in November, close to October's 305. Khor Al Zubair (KAZ) handled 470-500 vessels, roughly in line with October's 479 calls," according to a statement Dec. 9 from Vinayak Sunil Kharmale, Trader & Operations Lead at Sea Crown Marine Services DMCC.

"Bunker demand in November is estimated at around 33,000 mt, up from 31,000 mt supplied in October," according to the statement.