Poland's 210,000 b/d Gdansk refinery is increasing production after completing scheduled maintenance earlier this month. Most of the units taken off line for between late February and early April have restarted, as planned, operator Rafineria Gdanska said on 7 April. Maintenance was conducted on crude and vacuum distillation units, a diesel hydrotreater, the MHC mild hydrocracker, a reformer, the jet fuel Merox and hydrogen generation units, and two sulphur recovery units. A second phase of planned maintenance at Gdansk takes the refinery's three base oil units off line from 8 April until mid-May. Rafineria Gdanska is a joint venture of state-controlled Orlen with 70pc and state-controlled Saudi Aramco holding 30pc. Orlen is planning maintenance on a hydrocracker at its 373,000 b/d Plock refinery in Poland from 13 May until 24 June. The Polish company's 63,000 b/d Kralupy refinery in the Czech Republic has been shut down for scheduled maintenance since mid-March and should restart in early May. Orlen's 190,000 b/d Mazeikiai refinery in Lithuania was off line for 30 days of planned maintenance last month.
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Mexico air traffic to rise 4-6pc during World Cup
Mexico air traffic to rise 4-6pc during World Cup
Mexico City, 21 May (Argus) — Mexico's passenger air traffic could rise by 4-6pc during the 2026 Fifa World Cup, providing a boost to jet fuel demand despite Mexico hosting only a fraction of tournament matches, financial group Monex said. The uptick would be below the 8-15pc increases recorded by host countries during the 2018 and 2022 World Cups because Mexico is not the tournament's primary host, according to Monex. Mexico will host 13 of the tournament's 104 matches from 11 June-5 July, while the competition will conclude on 19 July in the US. Airport operators are expected to be among the sectors that benefit most from the event. Monex forecasts passenger traffic growth of 3.9pc for operator Asur, 2.3pc for GAP and 7.3pc for OMA in 2026, with the World Cup serving as a key catalyst. Asur's largest airport is Cancun, while GAP and OMA's flagship airports are Guadalajara and Monterrey, respectively. Both cities are among the three Mexican host cities for the tournament. The increase in passenger traffic is likely to support jet fuel consumption , which has already been growing this year. Low-cost airlines Viva and Volaris have been expanding seat availability as more aircraft return to service , creating additional upside for traffic at Mexico City's international airport. Monex expects the tourism boost associated with the World Cup to extend into 2027, forecasting average passenger traffic growth of 4-5pc across Mexico's main airport groups. By Antonio Gozain Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
US refiners boost jet fuel to near record levels
US refiners boost jet fuel to near record levels
Houston, 21 May (Argus) — US refiners are pumping out jet fuel at a near-record pace as global demand surges because of Iran-war related supply disruptions. US jet fuel output has reached above 2mn b/d in recent weeks , as refiners have added capacity and maximized yields, according to Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates. The output is nearing the record weekly high of about 2.1mn bl set in July 2024. Jet fuel production has increased by nearly 290,000 b/d since the start of the US-Israel war on Iran on 28 February, the EIA data show. The conflict has choked off oil and products supply through the strait of Hormuz and damaged energy infrastructure, causing soaring fuel prices. US refiners expect high margins to continue at least through the end of 2026. Independent refiner Marathon Petroleum increased jet fuel capacity by 30,000 b/d at its 606,000 b/d Garyville refinery in Louisiana in March and plans to boost jet fuel capacity at its 253,000 b/d Robinson refinery in Illinois by 10,000 b/d in the third quarter. US refiner Valero has also maximized jet production in its system, increasing yields to more than 30pc of total distillates in March, up from an average of 26pc, chief operating officer Gary Simmons said on a first quarter earnings call. Valero plans to push two more refineries into "jet production mode" to increase yields even further, he said. Refiner HF Sinclair put into service a project that allows it to swing about 7,000 b/d between diesel and jet fuel at its 145,000 b/d Puget Sound refinery in Anacortes, Washington. The project is helping to supply the US west coast and Latin America, HF Sinclair said. The jet fuel production boost is not limited to the US. Canadian integrated energy company Suncor in December started producing jet fuel at its 137,000 b/d Montreal refinery in Quebec, with the potential to grow it up to 16,000 b/d. The original plan was to sell it domestically into airports in Montreal and Ottawa, but then the company saw the "unique market blowout" in the first quarter which continued into the second quarter "where jet fuel became short in certain markets", executive vice president of downstream Dave Oldreive said in a first quarter earnings call. Suncor earlier this month sold jet fuel into Rotterdam in the Netherlands, he said. Europe has sought replacement supplies following the strait of Hormuz disruptions. Jet fuel prices in the US climbed to record highs in March and early April following the start of the war. At the US Gulf coast, jet fuel prices reached an all-time high of $4.73/USG on 2 April, the highest price since Argus launched its assessment in 1994. Overall US jet fuel prices are expected to average $3.33/USG in 2026, the EIA said in its latest monthly Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO) on 12 May. That forecast is up by 74pc from the EIA's estimate before the war. Airlines pay the price Jet fuel costs for all US airlines in March averaged $3.13/USG, up by 30pc from the same month in 2025, according to Bureau of Transportation Statistics data released on 6 May. Some airlines are limiting capacity because of the higher prices. United Airlines plans to reduce its flight capacity by five percentage points in 2026 as its first quarter jet fuel costs averaged $2.78/USG, up by nearly 10pc from the first quarter of 2025. Delta Air Lines expects its jet fuel costs to roughly double in the second quarter and will keep capacity flat year-over-year "until the fuel environment improves," chief executive Ed Bastian said on a first quarter earnings call last month. Another large US carrier, American Airlines, expects its jet fuel costs to increase by $4bn in 2026 compared to previous plans. One beleaguered US airline said it could not survive the rising prices. US low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines permanently shuttered its operations on 2 May, citing higher jet fuel costs, after filing for bankruptcy protection twice since 2024. By Eunice Bridges and Hunter Fite Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Deutscher Sprit nach Tankrabatt im unteren EU-Preisfeld
Deutscher Sprit nach Tankrabatt im unteren EU-Preisfeld
Hamburg, 21 May (Argus) — Die Kraftstoffpreise in Deutschland sind im europäischen Ranking seit Anfang Mai spürbar gesunken. Inzwischen liegt der Anstieg der deutschen Preise im Vergleich zum 23. Februar eher im unteren Bereich der betrachteten Märkte, nachdem er sich Ende April noch im europäischen Mittelfeld bewegte. Durch die temporäre Senkung der Energiesteuer auf Benzin und Diesel am 01. Mai hat sich Deutschland im europäischen Vergleich neu positioniert. Am 18. Mai lagen die Preise für Diesel 14 % über denen am 23. Februar, die Benzinpreise 12 %. Im europäischen Vergleich liegt die prozentuale Veränderung der Kraftstoffpreise in Deutschland vom 23. Februar — vor dem Ausbruch des Iran-Kriegs — bis zum 18. Mai im unteren Bereich, laut den Verbraucherpreisen aus dem Weekly Oil Bulletin der Europäischen Kommission (siehe Grafik). Lediglich in Polen sind die Kraftstoffpreise im Vergleich zum Vorkriegsniveau weniger stark gestiegen. Warschau hat Ende März sowohl die Verbrauchsteuer als auch die Mehrwertsteuer auf Kraftstoffe gesenkt und zusätzlich einen befristeten Mechanismus zur Begrenzung der Einzelhandelspreise eingeführt. Diese Maßnahmen sollten zunächst bis Ende April und dann bis Mitte Mai gelten. Am 12. Mai hat die polnische Regierung hat diese Maßnahmen bis Ende Mai verlängert. Deutsche Regierung reagierte später als andere Länder Deutschland hatte im europäischen Vergleich verhältnismäßig spät auf den Preisschock reagiert. Während zahlreiche Länder bereits im März und Anfang April Maßnahmen zur Entlastung von Verbrauchern eingeführt hatten, trat die deutsche Energiesteuersenkung erst zum 01. Mai in Kraft. Die verzögerte Umsetzung spiegelt sich auch in der Preisentwicklung bis Ende April wider. Zwischen dem 23. Februar und dem 27. April lagen die Preissteigerungen für Kraftstoffe in Deutschland im europäischen Mittelfeld (siehe Grafik). Internationale Produktpreise und lokales Angebot bleiben bestimmend Unverändert maßgeblich für die Entwicklung der Kraftstoffpreise für Verbraucher bleiben die ICE Gasoil Futures als Referenz für Diesel und Heizöl in Europa und die damit korrelierenden Großhandelspreise (siehe Grafik). Seit Ende Februar sind die Futures stark gestiegen, wobei sich die Notierungen im März nahezu verdoppelten. Nach einem Höchststand Anfang April folgte eine Korrektur, bevor sich die Preise seit Mitte April auf einem weiterhin deutlich erhöhten Niveau stabilisierten. Die Großhandels- und Endverbraucherpreise in Europa orientieren sich eng an diesen Bewegungen. Die Maßnahmen der Regierungen wirken sich auf die zusätzliche Preisbestandteile wie die Steuer aus, und können dadurch den Effekt der Preissteigerungen für Verbraucher dämpfen. Heizöl bleibt stärker börsenabhängig Im Gegensatz zu den Kraftstoffen ist die Entwicklung des Heizölpreise nicht von aktuellen nationalen Maßnahmen beeinflusst. Da die Energiesteuersenkung nicht auf Heizöl angewendet wird, spiegeln die Preise weiterhin die internationale Marktentwicklung sowie die lokale Angebot- und Nachfragesituation wider. Auch hier liegen die Preise — in Bezug auf den Anstieg seit Ende Februar — weiterhin deutlich über dem Vorkrisenniveau, wenngleich sich die Dynamik in einigen Länder zuletzt leicht abgeschwächt hat (siehe Grafik). Von Gabriele Zindel Endverbraucherpreise 18. Mai vs. 23. Februar Endverbraucherpreise 27. April vs. 23. Februar Bundesdurchschnittliche Preise und ICE Gasoil Senden Sie Kommentare und fordern Sie weitere Informationen an feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . Alle Rechte vorbehalten.
Market flags ARA bunker quality concerns
Market flags ARA bunker quality concerns
London, 21 May (Argus) — Marine fuel buyers have raised concerns over bunker fuel quality in the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) hub. It comes after testing firm Veritas Petroleum Services (VPS) issued an alert on 10 May flagging elevated sediment levels in high-sulphur fuel oil (HSFO) deliveries in Rotterdam. Several market participants in ARA said some producers may have been using lower-quality blending components in recent weeks. Some suggested shale oil may have been used in marine fuel production, which they said may have contributed to higher total sediment potential (TSP) in some finished product. These assessments could not be independently confirmed. VPS has, however, identified elevated sediment levels in HSFO deliveries in Rotterdam, stating that between 6 April and 7 May it tested several cargoes with TSP measured at up to 0.90pc m/m. Higher sediment levels can increase sludge formation, reducing the efficiency of onboard fuel treatment systems. The alert also said many samples exhibited "elevated density", which may complicate treatment for vessels fitted with conventional separators. There is no clear evidence that high TSP levels have been found in bunkers beyond Rotterdam. While the ISO 8217 specification caps TSP at 0.10pc, traders said some deliveries in the region have exhibited significantly higher levels, raising the risk of off-specification cargoes. The Port of Rotterdam Authority said it "does not have a role in the quality control or operational assurance of bunker fuels and will therefore not issue specific warnings to the market", adding that responsibility lies primarily with suppliers and buyers. It referred enforcement to the Netherlands' Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT). Argus has contacted ILT for comment. The market could see an increase in claims from buyers over off-specification bunkers, one trader said, adding that affected volumes loaded on refuelling ships may need to be debunkered. Participants said higher-quality components are being diverted away from ARA to blending tanks in ports on Saudi Arabia's west coast and in Africa, contributing to tighter availability in the region. Some suppliers are maintaining fuel quality by paying higher premiums for blendstocks, while others are opting for lower-quality alternatives, they said. An analyst said this tightening is being reinforced by falling availability of mid-range sulphur fuel oil components in Europe , as refiners divert streams typically used in bunker blending into middle distillate feedstocks and process them through hydrocrackers. Distillate margins are elevated, supported by disruption to Mideast Gulf supplies, prompting European refiners to maximise diesel and jet output. Tightening availability of suitable blending components in ARA is likely to persist in the near term, raising concerns over continued variability in fuel quality. By Natália Coelho and Bob Wigin Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
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