Bunker Market Insight: North America

Where TFG stands

Around 90% of TFG's global bunker fleet is already equipped with ISO 22192 MFMs, including four barges in the US. eBDNs are live in Singapore, Oman and Mauritius, with Ceuta to be onboarded very soon, and we are working on eBDN rollouts in the US. That puts us in a good position to help advance adoption in North America and share our practical global experience with the wider industry.

The greatest benefit will come through collaboration between suppliers, shipowners, surveyors, technology providers and port authorities. Common standards and systems that work together can help turn individual improvements into more efficient supply chains, building on experience elsewhere in a way that suits North American operations.

Alternative fuels: build to demand

Where digitalisation improves how we deliver today's fuels, alternative fuels ask the market to build something new, and the same discipline applies. North America has a strong production base across a host of alternative marine fuels, but competitive delivery to the ship requires suitable infrastructure and, in the US, Jones Act-compliant capacity. Given the capital costs involved, committing to specialist assets on speculative demand alone is difficult to justify.

Progress will depend on demand being backed by firm customer commitments. That gives producers, suppliers, shipowners, shipyards and regulators a clear basis to coordinate delivery capacity.

Looking ahead: a market in transition

The question of how quickly to modernise and where to commit capital will play out against a changing market structure. Consolidation could have the greatest single impact on the North American marine fuels market as larger players extend further downstream and the business becomes more complex. Smaller and mid-sized suppliers will need to evolve their role, whether through specialist expertise, local relationships or partnerships. This is what we have learned from our experience in other markets.