Demand for bunkers mixed at Indian ports in December in International Shipping News 13/01/2026 Demand for bunker fuels at India’s west coast ports varied in December, with Kandla achieving record volumes while Kochi remained stable. East Coast ports reported sluggish demand due to tight product availability. Strong demand in Kandla “We achieved the highest sales volumes for December in 2025, reaching 56,500 mt. Earlier, we achieved similar volumes in August 2024, which was 57,000,” a Kandla-based source close to Indian Oil Corp. told Platts, part of S&P Global Energy, on Jan. 9. “The inquiry volumes were good. Markets had dropped, and players were looking for Indian products because they get competitive pricing here. Our prices work on an average basis. Even now, the prices are lower.” Platts assessed marine fuel oil 0.5% delivered to Mumbai at $455/mt on Jan. 8, up $1/mt since the start of the week. In Singapore, Platts marine fuel 0.5% FOB cargoes rose $10.13/mt to close at $413.49/mt on Jan. 9. Marine fuel oil 0.5% delivered to Colombo was assessed at $475/mt, down $2/mt since the beginning of the week. Market participants said Hindustan Petroleum Corp. had started supplying high sulfur fuel oil at the ports of Kandla, Sikka and Vadinar. “In December, demand reached an all-time high at Kandla compared to other months,” a Kandla-based trader said. “HPCL has started supplying HSFO at Kandla, Sikka, Vadinar, and Tuna ports. Currently, HSFO is available only through tank trucks, although barge supplies are also possible.” Demand at Hazira and Dahej ports remained stable throughout the month, with traders reporting “a decent number of inquiries” in the region, supported by “good” product availability and “no supply constraints.” Bunker volumes stable at Kochi Market participants reported that demand remained stable month-over-month in Kochi, although some suppliers were experiencing stock shortages. “December was good for us. We exhausted our stock as there was tightness in availabilities from IOCL and HPCL during the first weeks,” a Kochi-based supplier told Platts. “We achieved volumes of over 8,000 mt. However, after Dec. 15, inquiry volumes were low because of the Holidays.” “At Cochin, there was no very low sulfur fuel availability at the start of December due to a scarcity of cargoes. However, supply normalized by mid-December, with ample gasoil available throughout the month,” a Dubai-based physical supplier on India’s west coast said. “HSFO was scarce during the first 10 to 12 days, but limited volumes are now available from all refineries, including HPCL and IOCL.” East coast India demand sluggish Ports along the east coast of India experienced mixed demand in December, with Haldia and Tuticorin witnessing a decline in volumes due to limited inquiries and the start of the holiday season. While Visakhapatnam saw an adequate demand for HSFO, some players had to cancel nominations due to a delay in the arrival of product replenishments from a local refinery. “At Haldia, the refinery supplied nearly 10,000 mt in December, a decrease compared to the previous month,” a Visakhapatnam-based trader told Platts. “This was primarily due to no inquiries at the beginning of the week; inquiries only began to arrive after Dec. 20. Overall, supply availability is sufficient, but demand has been lower than in November, and there have been no significant changes in production activity.” “The demand fluctuated in Visakhapatnam, but the demand for H