A report published by reports on 29 September 2026 says Singapore’s bunker market is experiencing persistent supply tightness even as demand remains "below average".
The bulletin, which covered Singapore and Malaysia, set recommended lead times for very-low-sulphur fuel oil at about 10 to 15 days. That was a shortening from the 13 to 17 days reported a week earlier, according to the item.
Most suppliers were described as keeping stocks low. The report did not indicate any broad replenishment of inventories across the market.
The item also noted delays in cargo arrivals linked to the conflict in the Middle East. The report made clear those delays were a factor mentioned by market sources in the assessment of supply conditions.
Lead times and market rhythm
reports recorded a week-on-week movement in recommended lead times for VLSFO that reduced the wait window by roughly three days at both the lower and upper bounds. The publication presented the shortening as a recent change in supplier guidance.
Market participants cited in the report were said to be operating to the revised lead-time guidance while maintaining low holdings. The combination of conservative stock policies and the revised lead times formed the core of the bulletin's account of current availability.
Stock levels and regional coverage
The report covered Singapore and Malaysia but focused in particular on Singapore’s bunker market, describing that market’s state as facing supply tightness despite the quoted "below average" demand. No indication was given that stock levels had been restored to normalised ranges in the period described.
Details in the item emphasised that most suppliers were keeping inventories low. The report did not provide company-level stock figures or supplier names within the supplied notes.
External disruption noted
The bulletin recorded delays to cargo arrivals and linked those delays to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East as reported by market sources. The supplied summary cited that connection but did not elaborate further in the material provided for verification.
The report’s account combined the lead-time guidance, low stock practices and the noted arrival delays as the principal elements of its assessment.
The combination of shortened recommended lead times, continued low supplier inventories and reported arrival delays framed the report’s view of an East-of-Suez bunker market that remains thinly supplied even in a period of lower-than-normal demand. The bulletin did not offer quantified estimates beyond the stated lead-time ranges within the notes supplied for this item.
Operators and charterers seeking to plan bunkering in the area were advised by the report to take the published lead-time guidance into account. The published item served as the source for the figures and observations summarised here.
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