Bio-bunker sales in Rotterdam down in 1Q

Market: Biofuels, Natural gas, Oil products
23/04/25

Sales of marine biodiesel blends in Rotterdam fell for the third consecutive quarter in January-March as demand shifted east of Suez.

Port data for the first quarter of 2025 show marine biodiesel blend sales declined by 12pc compared with the previous three months and by 60pc compared with the same period last year. The decline was underpinned by lower prices in Singapore. B24 dob Singapore — a blend comprising very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) and used cooking oil methyl ester (Ucome) — averaged a $36/t discount against B30 advanced fatty acid methyl ester (Fame) 0 dob ARA in the first quarter, and a $129.74/t discount against B30 Ucome dob ARA.

This price dynamic made Singapore an attractive bunker hub for those shipowners opting to use biodiesel blends to help their customers meet sustainability goals. It also attracted demand from shipowners bound by the FuelEU maritime regulations introduced in January this year. The regulations require a reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from ships travelling into, out of and within EU waters, but energy consumed from blends bunkered in Singapore can be mass balanced to be fully accounted for under the scope of the rules.

A pooling mechanism within the regulations also allows vessels operating on the east-west route to utilise compliance generated from marine biodiesel blends bunkered in Singapore across other ships that operate solely in Europe.

While biodiesel bunker sales in Rotterdam fell, biomethanol sales at the port soared almost sixfold in January-March compared with a year earlier. The sharp rise in demand reflects the rollout of FuelEU Maritime, higher mandates in Europe for the use of renewables in transport this year and changes to regulations on the carryover of renewable fuels tickets in Germany and the Netherlands.

Sales of conventional bunker fuels in Rotterdam edged up by a more modest 1pc on the quarter and by 7pc on the year. Sales of high-sulphur fuel oil (HSFO) overtook those of very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO), reversing the trend of the previous quarter despite the imminent addition of the Mediterranean Sea as an Emission Control Area (ECA). Ships without scrubbers that sail through ECA zones must use fuels with a maximum sulphur content of 0.1pc, such as marine gasoil (MGO) and ultra low sulphur fuiel oil (ULSFO).

LNG bunker sales in Rotterdam fell by the 13pc on the quarter in January-March, reflecting a price rally at the Dutch TTF gas hub in late January and early February. The Argus northwest Europe LNG bunker price stood at a two-year high of €64.35/MWh on 6 February.

LNG bunker sales were still higher than in the first quarter last year, which likely stems from the introduction of the FuelEU Maritime regulations.

By Hussein Al-Khalisy, Natália Coelho, Gabriel Tassi Lara, Evelina Lungu and Cerys Edwards.

Rotterdam bunker sales					t
Fuel	1Q25	4Q24	1Q24	q-o-q %	y-o-y %
VLSFO	789,218	810,831	680,782	-2.7	15.9
ULSFO	187,031	193,567	176,797	-3.4	5.8
HSFO	829,197	780,437	818,028	6.2	1.4
MGO & MDO	393,071	395,903	383,409	-0.7	2.5
Conventional total	2,198,517	2,180,738	2,059,016	0.8	7
Biofuel blends	104,037	118,201	262,634	-12	-60.4
LNG (m³)	230,129	263,068	215,247	-12.5	6.9
biomethanol	5,490	930	0	490.3	na
					Port of Rotterdam

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