Maritime glossary
Bunker
Marine fuel oil, colloquially named after the coal bunkers steamships used to carry.
Definition
Bunkers, or bunker fuel, is marine fuel for propulsion and onboard power. The major grades are HFO (heavy fuel oil), VLSFO (very low sulphur fuel oil at 0.5% sulphur or less, the global cap product), and MGO (marine gas oil), with LNG, methanol, and biofuels growing as decarbonisation forces a transition. Bunker is by far the largest variable operating cost for most vessels. A single VLCC stem can be 3,000 to 4,000 tonnes at USD 600 or more a tonne.
How Vessel Hunter uses Bunker
Bunker brokers, traders, and barge operators use Vessel Hunter to spot inbound vessels in time to land the next stem before the ship sails.
Related terms
- MARPOLMarine Pollution Convention
The IMO convention preventing pollution from ships: oil, chemicals, garbage, sewage, air emissions, sulphur.
- IMO 2020 Sulphur Cap
The MARPOL rule capping the sulphur content of marine fuel at 0.5% worldwide since 2020.
- ETDEstimated Time of Departure
The forecast time at which a vessel is expected to leave a port.
The bigger picture
Bunker is one piece of the commercial maritime picture Vessel Hunter pulls together for shipyards, suppliers, service providers, and port agents. Every vessel record bundles AIS, ownership, inspections, dry-dock history, casualty record, classification status, and a verified contact for the operator decision-maker behind the ship, so the team that reaches out first wins the work.
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