Fujairah News

MSC is the manager and commercial operator of a vessel seized on Saturday by Iranian authorities, international shipping company Zodiac Maritime said in a statement."MSC is responsible for all vessel activities including cargo operations and maintenance. Title to the vessel is held by Gortal Shipping Inc as financier, and she has been leased to MSC on a long-term basis. Gortal Shipping Inc is affiliated with Zodiac Maritime," said the company, partly owned by Israeli businessman…

Imports of fuel oil bound for the U.S. Gulf Coast fell to a five-year low last month as refiners ran more cheap, heavy Canadian crude and geopolitical tensions in the Middle East pressured fuel oil flows.Fuel oil deliveries to the Gulf Coast dwindled in February to just 318,000 barrels per day (bpd), a 20% drop from the prior month and marking their lowest level since February 2019, data from tanker tracking firm, Kpler showed.Heavy fuel oil feedstocks like high sulfur fuel oil…

Vitol says it successfully completed its first biofuel deliveries in Fujairah.Through its wholly-owned bunker arm, Vitol Bunkers, two vessels received B24 VLSFO on December 8 and 14. The fuel was sourced from its Fujairah-based refinery FRL and blended with regionally-sourced biofuel at VTTI storage facilities.

The Israel-Hamas war has raised the spectre of a wider regional conflict which could embroil Iran and other regional factions.Analysts and market observers say the conflict could prompt the United States to tighten sanctions on Iran, which may spur Tehran to take retaliatory action against ships in the Strait in Hormuz.The Marshall Islands registry, one of the world's top shipping flags, last week flagged that vessels with links to Israel or the United States may face a heightened threat of attack within Israeli territorial waters…

The United Arab Emirates said on Wednesday it was no longer taking part in operations by a U.S.-led task force protecting Gulf shipping, which has been subjected to renewed tanker seizures by Iranian naval forces in recent weeks.The UAE was responding to a Wall Street Journal report on Tuesday which, citing U.S. and Gulf sources, said the Gulf state was frustrated by the lack of U.S. response to recent tanker seizures by Iran.This was a "mischaracterisation" of conversations between the two countries…

Asian countries remain the lead destinations for Russian vacuum gasoil (VGO) and fuel oil exports after the European Union's embargo, traders said and Refinitiv data showed. "Pretty stable flows for refining and bunkering", one trader said. According to Refinitiv data, China and India, which became main importers of embargoed Russian oil, were respectively accounting for about 2.6 million tonnes and 2.1 million tonnes of exports of dirty oil products from Russian ports since the start of the year…

A second oil tanker in a week was seized by Iran on Wednesday in Gulf waters, the U.S. Navy said, the latest escalation in a series of seizures or attacks on commercial vessels in Gulf waters since 2019.The Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet of the U.S. Navy said the Panama-flagged oil tanker Niovi was seized by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) at 0620 local time while passing through the narrow Strait of Hormuz.The incident comes after Iran on Thursday seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman called the Advantage Sweet. The Advantage Sweet is being held by Iranian authorities in Bandar Abbas, the Marshall Islands flag registry said on Tuesday.

Russia increased its sea-borne diesel exports by 12% month-on-month in March to 4.5 million tonnes, boosting shipments to other destinations after its products were banned from the EU market, Refinitiv data and Reuters calculations showed.A full EU embargo on Russian oil products went into effect on Feb. 5.Turkey remains the top destination for Russian diesel and gasoil supplies, with its shipments almost doubling last month to about 1.6 million tonnes, according to Refinitiv…

UAE's Fujairah must step up investments for storage and supply of new alternative fuels as these markets are still lacking traction at the world's third-largest bunkering hub despite the urgency for maritime decarbonization, industry executives said on Wednesday.The maritime industry must seek out alternative fuels to meet carbon emission reduction targets set out by the U.N.'s International Maritime Organization, which include cutting carbon emissions by 40% from 2008 levels by 2030 and overall greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 50% by 2050.Despite being a key bunkering port…

Storage demand and transit volumes are poised to grow further at the United Arab Emirates' Fujairah port this year as Russian trade flows continue to flood the hub, industry executives said on Tuesday.Russian oil barrels have been flowing into popular ship-to-ship transfer hubs in the Middle East and Asia since last year as Western sanctions led to the reshuffling of trade flows."We have seen a huge influx of Russian barrels coming into Fujairah ... particularly urals and naphtha…

TFG Marine, majority owned by commodities trader Trafigura, aims to increase its marine fuel sales volume by up to 20% this year through expansion in Africa, the UK and the Mediterranean, a senior company executive said.The fuel supplier is looking to expand its volumes to 11-12 million tonnes, up from about 10 million tonnes in 2022, its head of bunkering Kenneth Dam told Reuters on the sidelines of the Fujairah Bunkering and Fuel Oil Forum (FUJCON) 2023.It plans to expand operations in several existing and new markets…

In the 45 years since the Arab Shipbuilding & Repair Yard (ASRY) opened on reclaimed land in Bahrain, the Middle East has become one of the world’s ship repair hotspots. A broad range of shipyards now service both regional and global markets.Regional yards have a ready market, with hundreds of offshore rigs working across the region together with the service ships that support them. Then there are thousands of tankers and gas carriers that arrive each year to load energy cargoes for far-flung destinations.

Marine fuel sales at the United Arab Emirates' Fujairah, the world's third-largest bunkering hub, slid 2% month-on-month in October as demand slowed.Total sales volumes at Fujairah, excluding lubricants, were at 655,126 cubic metres (about 627,000 tonnes) in October, showed latest data from the Fujairah Oil Industry Zone published by industry information service S&P Global Commodity Insights.The decline was led by a fall in low-sulphur bunker fuel sales, including low-sulphur fuel oil and marine gasoil.

Iran has released two Greek-flagged tankers that it seized in the Gulf in May, the Greek shipping ministry said on Wednesday.Iran detained the tankers in response to the confiscation of oil by the United States from an Iranian-flagged tanker off the Greek coast, fuelling bilateral tensions amid a broader deterioration in relations between Iran and the West."The final agreement was reached today in Tehran," the ministry said in a statement, confirming an earlier Reuters reportof a deal.Ship tracking data showed the vessels, Delta Poseidon and Prudent Warrior, were under way from Iran.The Prudent Warrior's destination was listed as the United Arab Emirates port of Khor Fakkan and the Delta Poseidon as the UAE port of Fujairah, according to the data.Merchant shipping remains prey to hazards i

Oil and shipping group Monjasa said it has acquired a secondhand 9,600 dwt oil and chemical tanker for cargo and bunkering operations in the Arabian Gulf.Formerly known as Trinity Erk, the 2009-built, 117.6-meter-long vessel has been renamed Monjasa Shaker and is now onw of four tankers ranging between 4,000 and 10,000-dwt serving Monjasa’s marine fuel operations across the Middle East.The Denmark-based company said it has seen increasing demand for its marine fuel solutions,…

The number of tankers used for storing fuel oil along the Singapore Strait has risen since the Ukraine war broke out and could rise further as more of Russia's supplies hit by sanctions head to Asia, industry sources and analysts said.A rise in floating storage supply along the strategic waterway is an indicator that more supplies are available to Asia, which will help ease tight markets. But, at the same time, it could limit a recovery in spot fuel oil prices for the year and weigh on Asian refining profits for the grade.Earlier this month…

At least four supertankers are waiting to load Murban crude off Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates a week after floods shut operations at the oil hub, according to trade sources and shipping data on Refinitiv Eikon.Last Thursday, the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) said it had shut down its operations at Fujairah terminal due to "exceptional rainfall".The company had said it would divert Fujairah terminal oil lifting to the Jebel Dhanna terminal which can handle Murban shipments.However, supertankers are still waiting off Fujairah and it remains unclear when loading will resume, according to the sources and Refinitiv data.Two…

Vitol Bunkers said has extended its bunkering services to Jebel Ali—the largest container port in the Middle East—and to Dubai's Port Rashid Cruise Terminal, from July 2022.According to Vitol, the move will help it to address the supply requirements of strategic marine customers in key Middle Eastern locations.Vessels visiting Jebel Ali will have access to Vitol Bunkers’ marine products produced at the Vitol-owned FRCL refinery in Fujairah.  These include a range of marine fuel grades as well as bio-marine fuels for customers wishing to mitigate their carbon emissions.

The number of tankers used for storing fuel oil along the Singapore Strait has risen since the Ukraine war broke out and could rise further as more of Russia's supplies hit by sanctions head to Asia, industry sources and analysts said.A rise in floating storage supply along the strategic waterway is an indicator that more supplies are available to Asia, which will help ease tight markets. But, at the same time, it could limit a recovery in spot fuel oil prices for the year and weigh on Asian refining profits for the grade.Earlier this month…

Marine fuel sales at the United Arab Emirates' Fujairah, third largest bunkering hub in the world, fell to a four-month low in June as high bunker premiums and tight supplies capped uptake.Total bunker sales volumes were down 13% month-on-month at 647,184 cubic meters (about 619,602 tonnes) in June, based on latest data from the Fujairah Oil Industry Zone published by industry information service S&P Global Commodity Insights."Fujairah barges have been trading above Singapore since mid-June.

The world's largest independent oil trader, Vitol, loaded a cargo of Russian ESPO Blend crude for the United Arab Emirates this week, the first such voyage for the grade, data from several analytics firms showed.Suezmax tanker Kriti Breeze loaded the 740,000-barrel cargo on May 3, and is heading to the port of Fujairah, data from Refinitiv, Kpler and Vortexa showed.Vitol could not immediately be reached for comment.(Reporting by Florence Tan and Chen Aizhu; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

AD Ports Group's feeder service, SAFEEN Feeders, has signed a long-term trade facilitation and shipping agreement with Saif Powertec Limited, a listed firm in Bangladesh that is active in ports, logistics, civil engineering, and power sectors.Under the terms of the agreement, the two companies will collaborate to facilitate trade and cargo services from Fujairah to Bangladesh over a period of 15 years. As part of the collaboration, SAFEEN Feeders is expected to provide eight Supramax bulk carriers with 55…

Container feeder operator SAFEEN Feeders, part of the AD Ports Group, announced it has acquired a containership that will join its feeder service fleet in the Arabian Gulf.SAFEEN Pearl, formerly called Vega Virgo, will be deployed in its UAE Coastal Service (UCO) providing connection to UAE ports, including the Group’s flagship Khalifa Port, and the coastal ports of Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah and Fujairah.Captain Maktoum Al Houqani, Chief Corporate Authority Officer and Acting Head of Maritime Cluster - AD Ports Group…