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Rotterdam biomarine 2025 sales fall as bio‑LNG surges

  • Market: Biofuels, Natural gas, Oil products
  • 05/02/26

Marine biodiesel sales fell on the year in Rotterdam in 2025, but bio-LNG and biomethanol made sharp gains while conventional bunker fuels were roughly steady.

Marine biodiesel blend sales fell by 16pc to 629,700t in 2025 from 2024, according to data from the Port of Rotterdam. Sales declined by 18pc in the fourth quarter from the third quarter. Data from the Port of Singapore, on the other hand, showed strong growth in blend sales, with marine biodiesel sales higher by 56pc year-on-year in 2025. This was driven by higher uptake of B24, B30 and B100 used to meet FuelEU Maritime requirements, which came into effect in 2025 and require ships coming in, out of, and operating within EU waters to reduce emissions.

Rotterdam sales fell due to more competitive pricing east of Suez, pulling demand towards Singapore. B24 Ucome dob Singapore prices averaged $685.71/t in 2025, compared with $797.23/t for B30 Ucome dob ARA.

Shipowners bunkering marine biodiesel in Singapore for EU-bound voyages can use it for FuelEU Maritime compliance. Energy used on voyages between EU and EEA ports and non-EU ports has a 50pc share of regulatory coverage, and full coverage for voyages intra-EU. Compliance generated from bunkering marine biodiesel in Singapore can then be used to achieve compliance on vessels operating European routes, via the pooling mechanism, in which obligated companies can combine their compliance balance with other vessels.

This has driven an emerging FuelEU compliance surplus market, where participants can buy compliance via pooling to avoid physical bunkering of alternative marine fuels. For use of bio-LNG, over-compliance has sold at a significant premium to cost. As a result, bio-LNG bunker sales in Rotterdam jumped by more than 500pc on the year to 17,650m³ in 2025 on strong demand, and by 1,975pc on the year in the fourth quarter. Biomethanol sales rose by 200pc on the year to 11,800t in 2025, also supported by FuelEU Maritime and an increase in the number of methanol-capable vessels coming into operation — 60 methanol-capable vessels were in operation or on order in 2025, according to DNV data, compared with 17 in 2024.

Sales of conventional bunker fuels in Rotterdam in 2025 were largely stable, up by 1pc on the year to 8.73mn t. But ultra-low sulphur fuel oil (ULSFO) sales rose by 16pc on the year, to the highest since 2021, as demand rose to reflect stricter requirements after the Mediterranean was designated an emissions control area (ECA) by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) in May. Vessels transiting the sea are limited to emitting 0.1pc sulphur.

The sulphur emission limits of the ECA in the Mediterranean also contributed to firmer demand for marine gasoil (MGO) and marine diesel oil (MDO). Sales of the products at Rotterdam were up 7pc on the year while fourth quarter sales were unchanged on the year but up by 4pc on the quarter. MGO-based marine biodiesel blends firmed to record highs of 93,200t in 2025, supported by the ECA expansion.

But European decarbonisation and regulations — such as EU ETS expansion, FuelEU Maritime, and RED III — made very-low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) less attractive for shipowners that are seeking ECA-compliant 0.1pc sulphur fuels such as ULSFO or marine gasoil. VLSFO sales fell by 7pc on the year in 2025 while fourth quarter VLSFO sales were down 8pc on the year but up 17pc quarter on quarter.

The increase in scrubber-fitted vessels continued to support sales of high-sulphur fuel oil (HSFO) at Rotterdam, which increased 3pc on the year. HSFO sales at the port in the fourth quarter were up by 3pc on the year but down by 8pc on the quarter.

By Hussein Al-Khalisy and Siew Hua Seah.

Rotterdam bunker salest
Fuel20252024y-o-y %4Q 20253Q 2025q-o-q %4Q 2024y-o-y %
ULSFO864,782748,18616%219,039232,720-6%193,56713%
VLSFO2,850,0833,076,817-7%745,786635,63817%810,831-8%
HSFO3,420,9083,330,3273%804,962872,077-8%780,4373%
MGO/MDO1,590,9021,483,3327%402,781387,1734%395,9032%
Conventional total8,726,6758,638,6621%2,172,5682,127,6082%2,180,738-0%
Biofuels blends629,706752,103-16%161,934198,515-18%118,20137%
LNG (m³)992,911941,3665%192,433331,620-42%263,068-27%
Bio-LNG (m³)17,6442,775536%11,93296092%5751975%
Biomethanol11,8193,946200%nanana930na
Port of Rotterdam
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Kanadevia, Nippon Steel Engineering to explore merger

Kanadevia, Nippon Steel Engineering to explore merger

Tokyo, 5 February (Argus) — Japanese engineering companies Kanadevia and Nippon Steel Engineering agreed to explore merging their businesses to meet future demand growth for waste management and waste-to-energy plants. Kanadevia and Nippon Steel's wholly owned subsidiary Nippon Steel Engineering signed the initial agreement on 5 February to explore a possible merger by April 2027. The companies aim to finalise their decision by November 2026. Kanadevia and Nippon Steel Engineering expect demand for waste management plants in Japan to grow because of the many domestic plants that are ageing, which will require renewal. The companies also forecast a rise in demand for waste-to-energy plants overseas — especially in growing markets like north America and southeast Asia — given the drive towards decarbonisation. Kanadevia has expanded its decarbonisation businesses, including to waste-to-energy plants and hydrogen- and ammonia-related products. Kanadevia's Switzerland-based green technology subsidiary Kanadevia Inova added 11 UK biogas plants to its portfolio after buying low-carbon asset management firm Iona Capital. Kanadevia plans to start commercial operations of its plant, which will produce polymer-electrolyte-membrane water electrolyser stacks , in the April 2028-March 2029 fiscal year. It also plans to invest in building production facilities for ammonia-fuelled ship engines , aiming to begin operations in 2028-29. Kanadevia will sell 25pc of its stake in its subsidiary Hitachi Zosen Marine Engine by the end of March 2026. Kanadevia expects to own 40pc, while Japan's major shipbuilder Imabari Shipbuilding will raise its share from 35pc to 60pc after the sale. The move is intended to speed up the development of ammonia-fuelled ship engines by allowing Imabari Shipbuilding to lead the project. By Nanami Oki Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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Crude Summit: Brazil not worried about Venezuela crude

04/02/26
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04/02/26

Crude Summit: Brazil not worried about Venezuela crude

Houston, 4 February (Argus) — Rising volumes of heavy sour Venezuelan crude will not compete with Brazilian grades because they cater to different markets, panelists said at the Argus Americas Crude Summit in Houston, Texas, today. In the short term, less than 300,000 b/d of Venezuela crude will head to the US while Brazil will keep sending barrels worldwide, mainly to Asia, said PetroChina International Trading's vice president of crude Alipio Ferreira. "It makes a lot of sense for American refiners to buy this," Ferreira said. The Venezuelan crude will compete with other grades including Western Canadian Select (WCS), and crudes from Mexico, Ecuador and Colombia, said state-controlled Petrobras' global crude oil manager Fernando Colares Nogueira on the sidelines of the conference. More Venezuelan heavy sour crude is hitting the global market after trading firms Trafigura and Vitol were approved by the US government to market unsanctioned Venezuelan oil following the US capture of former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro on 3 January. More recently, the US lifted sanctions on Venezuela's oil exports, with caveats prohibiting sales to Cuba, business deals involving many Chinese companies and oil-for-debt arrangements. The lifting of sanctions will allow Venezuela's state-owned PdV to directly sell cargoes to eligible buyers abroad. Brazil is the sixth-largest oil producer, with output increasing by about 400,000 b/d in 2025, part of a boom in crude production in Latin America that will continue, Nogueira said. Most of Brazil's exports will continue to go to Asia though the end of the decade , Ferreira said. Growing supply from Brazil and Argentina could also lead to an increase in co-loading cargoes with crude from the two countries going to China, Ferreira said. Petrobras has already co-loaded crude from the two countries on a very large crude carrier (VLCC) — one time late last year and once early in 2026, Ferreira said. The co-loading involves a ship-to-ship transfer. Argentina sent a few cargoes of light sweet Medanito crude to Asia-Pacific at the start of this year as producers try to expand the grade's market in the region. Only four Medanito cargoes headed to Asia-Pacific in 2024, according to data from oil analytics firm Vortexa. The growing number of shipments to Asia come as a consortium of eight Argentinian producers build a new oil pipeline, the 271-mile Vaca Muerta Sur, connecting the Vaca Muerta shale fields, from where Medanito is produced, to the Punta Colorada port. The new port will handle VLCCs. The lack of VLCC loading has been one of the biggest bottlenecks for expanding Medanito's reach to Asian markets. Currently, draft limitations cap Argentina exports to a maximum 800,000 bl on Suezmaxes or Aframaxes, which makes sales to Asia-Pacific mostly unfeasible. By Eunice Bridges Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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Crude Summit: Court tariff overturn likely: Lighthizer

04/02/26
News
04/02/26

Crude Summit: Court tariff overturn likely: Lighthizer

Houston, 4 February (Argus) — At least parts of President Donald Trump's sweeping tariff regime will likely be overturned by the US Supreme Court, according to former US trade representative Robert Lighthizer, but the administration will find other ways to keep their intent intact. "My guess is that there'll be, to some extent, an overruling of what he did," Lighthizer said today at the Argus Americas Crude Summit in Houston, Texas. Lighthizer, considered an architect of the current White House tariff policy, said they would not go away even with an unfavorable court ruling, which is expected in the coming weeks. "It's clearly easier and better if you can do it under IEEPA," Lighthizer said, referring to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the 1977 law that Trump has used to impose reciprocal tariffs on dozens of global trading partners. "But if he can't, I think he'll have the same policy," just using other tools to impose similar tariffs. "He has those tools. It's a little more complicated process." Lighthizer, who helped orchestrate the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) in 2020 that spells out trade between the three countries, said further changes were needed as a renewal of the deal approaches later this year. "There will be some tweaks in Canada," he said, particularly with regard to agriculture. "There'll be some more substantial change with respect to Mexico, and particularly taking on this issue of China's influence in Mexico." Direct energy imports have largely been spared from most of the Trump tariffs, but oil companies complain tariffs have increased drilling costs by making steel imports more costly. The uncertainly of the on-again/off-again tariff have also increased economic uncertainty and made planning difficult for energy firms. But Lighthizer said Trump has a "very favorable attitude" toward the energy sector in general. While tariffs may have increased the cost of steel "the payoff will be pretty big" he said, when the wider economy takes off as a result of a rebalance of long-standing trade deficits. Lighthizer dismissed arguments that tariffs cause inflation, and said the policy has been a great success. "You can say they could have done it in a less chaotic way," Lighthizer said. "Maybe that's true, maybe it's not true." By Stephen Cunningham Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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Japan eyes Qatar for emergency LNG supply

04/02/26
News
04/02/26

Japan eyes Qatar for emergency LNG supply

Osaka, 4 February (Argus) — Japan's trade and industry ministry Meti on 3 February signed a non-binding initial agreement with the country's largest power producer Jera and state-owned QatarEnergy (QE) to establish a trilateral co-operation framework enabling the supply of additional LNG cargoes during emergency situations. The deal allows Meti to request QE to consider supplying additional LNG to Japanese buyers, including Jera, if tight global LNG markets or large-scale domestic disruptions threaten Japan's energy stability. The parties will then consult on appropriate response measures. Qatar, one of the world's largest LNG producers, has been a key supplier to Japanese utilities for nearly three decades. It provided emergency LNG cargoes to Japan following the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011 to help mitigate the impact of nuclear reactor shutdowns — an experience that helped shape the new framework, Jera said. These potential buffer LNG volumes from Qatar are in addition to a recent 3mn t/yr long-term contract signed by Jera and QE. The firms signed a 27-year supply agreement on 3 February to buy up to 3mn t/yr of LNG from 2028. The LNG will be supplied on a delivered ex-ship (des) basis, likely from the 16mn t/yr North Field South expansion, which is due to start production in 2027. Jera has declined to comment on the price formula and destination flexibility. Jera also currently holds a term contract with state-owned Qatargas to purchase 700,000 t/yr of LNG through 2028. This deal was originally signed in 2012 by Jera's 50pc shareholder Chubu Electric Power for 15 years, covering 1mn t/yr from 2013-17 and 700,000 t/yr for 2018-28. The company used to have a term contract for 5.5mn t/yr from Qatar, which expired in December 2021. Japan received 3.4mn t of LNG from Qatar in 2025, which accounted for 5.3pc of the country's total imports, according to data from the finance ministry. This is down from 18.4pc in 2013. Jera is gearing up to build an LNG portfolio that exceeds its downstream obligations, because underestimating demand and being forced to buy spot cargoes would pose a greater risk. The company aims to maintain its LNG handling volumes at no less than 35mn t/yr with diversified supply sources until the April 2035-March 2036 fiscal year. It signed multiple deals for 5.5mn t/yr of US LNG in 2025, with some of these deals extending to 2050. LNG could continue playing a vital role in ensuring stable electricity supplies in Japan, even during energy transition toward the 2050 net-zero emissions goal, because the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence would boost power demand. Renewable capacity is expected to increase, but weather-dependent solar and wind output still require back-up thermal capacity. It is also unclear how many nuclear reactors will return over the next decade. By Motoko Hasegawa Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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Crude Summit: US refiners adjust slates, eye pipelines

03/02/26
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03/02/26

Crude Summit: US refiners adjust slates, eye pipelines

Houston, 3 February (Argus) — US refiners are using their flexibility to handle varying crude slates more often while eyeing options such as new fuel pipelines to adapt to the changing market, according to speakers at the Argus Americas Crude Summit in Houston, Texas, today. Monroe Energy's 190,000 b/d refinery in Trainer, Pennsylvania, can run up to about 20,000 b/d of Western Canadian Select (WCS) crude if it has "the right stuff to blend it," said chief executive Jeff Warmann. Monroe, which is owned by Delta Airlines, has been researching the possibility of railing WCS to the Monroe refinery, he said on the sidelines of the conference. Once you remove some heavier elements of the crude the rest is "near a Bakken lookalike," he said, referring to oil produced in the Bakken shale in North Dakota. The US market is expecting an increase in heavier crude volumes, including more imports from Venezuela, which could push back WCS into the midcontinent and pressure prices for all heavy grades. Some US Gulf coast refiners have facilities originally designed to take the heavier crude, but other US refineries take lighter crude, such as oil from the prolific Permian basin in Texas and New Mexico. On the midstream front, Joseph Israel, executive vice president for US refiner Delek, told the conference that proposed fuel pipeline projects will be key in supplying areas where refineries are closing, such as California, eventually relieving the need for foreign imports. He pointed to several projects, including a joint proposal from Phillips 66 and Kinder Morgan to build a refined products pipeline system from the midcontinent to western US markets. The Western Gateway project includes a new 200,000 b/d pipeline from Borger, Texas, to Phoenix, Arizona, combined with the reversal of Kinder Morgan's existing SFPP pipeline from Colton, California, to Phoenix. In addition, the Phillips 66-operated Gold pipeline, which currently flows from Borger to St Louis, Missouri, would be reversed to allow refined products from midcontinent refineries to flow south to Borger and supply the Western Gateway system. Western Gateway will be "a huge pressure relief" from the midcontinent as well as west Texas, Israel said. Another large US midstream company, Oneok, is considering building a 200,000 b/d pipeline — the Sun Belt Connector — to carry gasoline, diesel and jet fuel from El Paso, Texas, to Phoenix. Phillips 66 last year completed a planned shutdown of its 139,000 b/d Los Angeles refining complex. That closure, along with the ongoing shutdown of Valero's 145,000 b/d refinery in Benicia, California, has raised concerns about the state's tight and often volatile oil products market and the impact on neighboring states. By Eunice Bridges Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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