Singapore overtook Rotterdam as the largest global bio-bunkering port in the third quarter of this year, according to Ship & Bunker data reported by Port News.
Although Singapore had been the world’s largest conventional bunker port for decades, it had been slower to develop an alternative fuels market, with Rotterdam leading on both biofuel bunker blends and liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a marine fuel, the 25 October report said.
In the third quarter, Rotterdam’s biofuel sales dropped to 137,175 tonnes, down by 41.4% from the previous quarter and by 25.1% year-on-year.
Meanwhile Singapore’s jumped to 227,000 tonnes, up by 26.4% from the previous quarter and by 67.5% year-on-year.
“Strong sales of bio-blended bunkers in Singapore could be one of the reasons for this decline [in Rotterdam],” Ronald Backers, head of liquid bulk business intelligence at the Port of Rotterdam, was quoted as saying in a social media post.
The Netherlands government significantly reduced its subsidies for marine biofuel sales this year, Port News wrote.
However, the FuelEU Maritime regulation coming into force next year was expected to boost biofuel sales in Rotterdam, as well as Singapore, the report said.
At a Sibcon industry event held in October, a Vitol executive was quoted as saying his company expected Singapore biofuel sales to double every year in the near term.
Meanwhile, Rotterdam remains the world’s largest port for LNG bunkering, with third quarter sales of 220,120m³ compared to 125,700 tonnes in Singapore, according to the report.
