23JUL2019 - NEWS - Compliant Bunker Fuels Long-Haul Charters A Major Risk

The IMO2020 rule for the use of low-sulphur fuels from the beginning of 2020 is expected to offer a boost in the product tanker market, triggering demand for more cargoes. However, a lot is still dependant on if “the price is right”. In its latest weekly report, Gibson said that “over the past few weeks, the West – East High Sulphur Fuel Oil (HSFO) arbitrage has firmed substantially from a fairly range bound $30/tonne to a bullish $46/tonne, briefly touching a four year high of $50/tonne last week. Several factors are behind this sudden widening”.