Japan's top LPG supplier Astomos Energy said Friday it will launch a newly built VLGC in its fleet at the end of December that will be used for LPG procurements, including from Australia's Ichthys project and AltaGas' project in the west coast of Canada from next year.

The physical crack of FOB ARA 50 ppm gasoil barges hit a one-and-a-half month low Thursday amid sluggish demand and destocking activities in the ARA region.

Two planned VLCC-loading projects along the Texas Gulf Coast -- one in Corpus Christi and another offshore Freeport -- are moving forward as pressure increases to export more US crude on supertankers.

Chinese state-owned Unipec, the country's biggest importer of US crude, will resume imports from the US "very soon" and the volumes will likely be significant, a senior executive told S&P Global Platts.

The port of Gibraltar resumed full bunkering operations after work was curtailed because of rough seas, according to sources.

The bunkering arm of Italy's Maxcom Group, Maxcom Bunker SpA, will be re-launched under the new name of Bunker Energy SpA, according to a statement from the company.

Global bunker supplier World Fuel Services is launching a physical supply operation in the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest US, the company said Friday.

The bunker industry is in a fragile state as it enters its last year before tougher sulfur restrictions come into force, with several key players in retreat.

"[No one] wants to be the first to jump in there, it's the second mouse that gets the cheese," a fuel oil trader said this week.

"Despite facing various hurdles, we believe we are moving toward the lifting [of Iranian oil] with the US [sanctions] waiver," Tsukioka said.

"Dual-fueled LNG-based engines are expected to be the future solution," the company said in its annual activity outlook released Wednesday.

Discharge is scheduled for every month of 2019

"Market seems to be a bit more quiet than last month," a refiner said.

Turnarounds expected to dampen demand in Q1 2019 Refiners and buyers of Middle Eastern sour crudes in Asia have been largely unfazed by the OPEC-led supply cut announced in Vienna last week, market sources said on Wednesday.