Rotterdam's latest bunker figures tell two different stories: conventional fuel sales recovered from a weak second quarter, while bio-bunker volumes fell. Across the wider Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp region, higher oil stocks have not removed the need to book ahead.
For buyers, the useful question is not simply which fuel looks cheapest. It is which supplier can deliver the right grade, in the right place, within the vessel's window. This week's developments bring that distinction into focus, from new ARA barge capacity to the practical work behind methanol and ammonia operations.
Here are seven developments worth your attention, based on reports published from 19 to 23 October.
1. Rotterdam's sales recover, but the fuel mix is changing
ENGINE's 22 October analysis of Port of Rotterdam data puts third-quarter conventional bunker sales at about 1.8 million tonnes, up 10% from the previous quarter. That is a recovery, not a return to last year's level: conventional sales over the first nine months remained 26% below the same period in 2025.
Bio-bunker sales moved the other way, falling 38% quarter on quarter to 154,000 tonnes. Yet the total masks differences between fuels. Liquefied biomethane volumes rose to 11,000 tonnes and bio-methanol reached 4,200 tonnes. These are newly reported quarterly figures, not sales made this week. For suppliers, they are a reason to examine demand grade by grade rather than treat alternative fuels as a single market.
2. More ARA stock does not mean an immediate delivery slot
ENGINE reported on Friday that independently held ARA fuel oil inventories averaged 5.85 million barrels in October so far, 7% above September's average. In the same report, a trader described prompt supply as tight and recommended five to seven days' notice to obtain competitive offers from a wider selection of suppliers.
There is no contradiction. Regional inventory and a supplier's ability to deliver a particular stem are different things. For an upcoming ARA call, our practical takeaway is to send the grade, quantity, vessel and delivery window early. Confirm actual availability rather than assuming a higher stock figure means a barge can turn up tomorrow.
3. Rotterdam's fuel-switch economics still depend on the assumptions
In its Monday assessment, ENGINE put Rotterdam B100 at a $26-per-tonne premium to HSFO, having previously shown a discount. Liquefied biomethane remained cheaper than LSMGO in that comparison, but more expensive than HSFO, VLSFO and B100.
The basis matters: these were energy-adjusted, VLSFO-equivalent comparisons including estimated EU-to-EU voyage compliance costs and pooling values, not delivered supplier quotations. They were also Monday's snapshot, not Friday's closing prices. The buying lesson is to compare the fuel, vessel and voyage together. An attractive compliance-adjusted number is a starting point for a calculation, not a substitute for a firm offer.
4. Verde adds physical supply capacity in the ARA region
Verde Marine Energy has added barges serving Flushing, Terneuzen and Ghent, including a dedicated HSFO barge, according to ENGINE's 21 October report of the company's announcement. The expansion follows its previously announced collaboration with Sunoco Marine.
This is directly relevant to buyers because physical delivery capability can change the shortlist of suppliers worth approaching. It does not establish availability for every grade at every location, or guarantee a particular slot. Buyers should confirm the exact supply point and delivery terms; suppliers should make those capabilities clear when responding to enquiries.
5. Methanol's early adopters share the operating lessons
The Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping published a report on 19 October drawing on experience from operators, shipyards, equipment manufacturers and ports already working with methanol-fuelled vessels. Its scope includes training, maintenance, safety and the bunkering interface, not just vessel design.
That is a useful shift in emphasis. Fuel selection has to work during a real port call as well as in a business case. Our takeaway for procurement teams is to involve the people responsible for receiving and using the fuel early, so that commercial discussions and operational preparation move together. This is evidence from early adopters, not proof that every route has a mature methanol supply chain.
6. Singapore adds a methanol- and B100-capable bunker vessel
Outside Europe, PetroChina International's Singapore operation has taken delivery of Vanda Pioneer, an 8,000-dwt IMO Type 2 bunker vessel capable of carrying methanol and B100, ENGINE reported on 21 October.
For operators whose routes include both Europe and Asia, it is a useful supply-infrastructure development. But vessel capability is only one part of a bunker plan. Buyers still need confirmation of the product, specification, documentation, quantity and delivery slot. A new barge is tangible progress; it is not evidence that every alternative-fuel enquiry can already be fulfilled.
7. EPS takes its ammonia programme into the next stage
Eastern Pacific Shipping announced the delivery of Terra Clove on 22 October. Built by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, the 93,000-cubic-metre ammonia carrier has dual-fuel propulsion and retains the ability to use conventional marine fuel.
EPS says it intends to bunker green ammonia supplied by LOTTE Fine Chemical at Ulsan for ammonia-burning trials. That is a planned next step, not a completed trial. For the wider market, the significance is the combination of vessel delivery, fuel arrangements and operational preparation. It is a concrete development in ammonia shipping, without implying that routine ammonia bunkering is now available across ports.
The buying takeaway
The thread running through this week is delivery capability. Stock levels, quarterly sales and fuel-cost models all help explain the market. None of them, on their own, confirms what can be delivered to your vessel.
Use bunker price indications for context, checking the displayed date and grade before making comparisons. Then turn that context into a specific requirement: port, vessel, fuel specification, quantity and delivery window.
Bulugo's marine fuel procurement workflow helps structure that enquiry and move the conversation towards supplier quotes. The objective is straightforward: compare offers that actually match the job, not just numbers that happen to sit next to each other.
Sources
- ENGINE, 22 October 2026: Rotterdam's conventional bunker sales rebound and Rotterdam's bio-bunker sales decline. Reporting on third-quarter data.
- ENGINE, 23 October 2026: ARA fuel oil stocks rise in October so far.
- ENGINE, 19 October 2026: Fuel Switch Snapshot: Rotterdam LBM and conventional fuel comparisons.
- ENGINE, 21 October 2026: Verde Marine expands bunker fleet.
- Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping, 19 October 2026: Methanol Ship Design and Operations: Operational Experience from Early Adopters.
- ENGINE, 21 October 2026: PetroChina Singapore takes delivery of methanol and B100 bunker vessel.
- Eastern Pacific Shipping, 22 October 2026: Terra Clove delivery announcement.