Fujairah suffers softer marine fuel sales

Sales of marine fuel at Fujairah in the UAE fell around 3 percent to 7.4 million cubic metres (7.33 million tons) in 2025 from the year before, latest data from the Fujairah Oil Industry Zone published by S&P Global Energy revealed.

Fujairah, a vital point where ships refuel in the Middle East, slips to the world’s fourth-largest bunker hub for ships from third, with China’s Zhoushan port overtaking it in 2025 as total sales surpassed 8 million tons, according to Zhoushan bunker port website.

The softer Fujairah volumes were driven by demand diversion to the neighbouring Middle Eastern port of Khor Fakkan, an exclave of Sharjah, which had offered marine fuel at lower prices on several occasions, market sources told Reuters.

Geopolitical tensions in the Middle East also pressured demand to some extent, sources said, as shipowners were cautious about navigating the region during periods of heightened uncertainty.

Other refuelling centres posted stronger volumes last year including Singapore which reported fresh highs in 2025.

Despite a drop in total volumes, sales of high-sulphur fuel oils rose for at least a fourth straight year, based on available FOIZ data since 2021.

High-sulphur volumes rose 4 percent from 2024 to 2.22 million cubic metres in 2025 as demand from scrubber-fitted ships stayed robust. These vessels can refuel with high sulphur fuel oil as a cheaper alternative.

Sales of low-sulphur marine fuel dipped 6 percent year-on-year to 5.2 million cubic metres in 2025, taking into account both low-sulphur fuel oils and marine gas oils.

This brought the market share of high-sulphur bunkers in Fujairah to 30 pecent in 2025, up from 28 percent in 2024, while low-sulphur bunkers dropped to 70 percent, from 72 percent a year ago.

Further reading:

• Fujairah marine fuel sales hit record low in February
• Fujairah’s grand plan could fall victim to tariff shock
• UAE fires up Fujairah gas power plant