long-haul HSfo trade winds down

摘要

High-sulphur fuel oil (HSFO) exports from northwest Europe to Asia-Pacifc may be- come a thing of the past as regional suppliers run down stocks ahead of IMO 2020. Europe used to ship 1.5mn t/month of HSFO to Singapore. Much of it was Russian supply that loaded at Baltic ports and pooled at Rotterdam before going east on large tankers. But a reduction in allowable sulphur levels in marine fuels from January next year is forcing suppliers in Asia-Pacifc to reduce inventories, sharply cutting demand for long-haul shipments from Rotterdam.