The Singapore Marine Fuel 0.5%S cash differential over swaps values flipped into positive territory on Sept. 17 for the first time since Aug. 3, supported by lower stocks and stable demand, S&P Global Platts data showed.

Stocks rose for the first time since Aug. 19 when it had dropped for three consecutive weeks to an eight-month low of 20.735 million barrels, the data showed.

Japan's total volume of ship and oil domestic cargo ship transports plunged 28% on the year to 15.56 million mt, or 97.9 million barrels, in July, according to the latest data from the Japan Federation of Coastal Shipping Associations.

Two rival groups in Libya -- the UN-backed Government of National Accord and the self-styled Libyan National Army -- have agreed to reopen key oil ports, signaling the possible restart of around 1 million b/d of production and the release of masses of crude in storage.

The premium of Singapore-delivered to Fujairah-delivered, 0.5% sulfur marine fuel narrowed to $2/mt on Sept. 18, the lowest in three months, S&P Global Platts data showed, on tight barge availability and an uptick in demand in the Middle East.

Trans-Pacific container freight rates scaled new heights over the past month, with multiple general rate increases (GRIs) taking spot rates to week after week of record highs.

NYMEX WTI futures were trading higher midday Sept. 18 as offshore operators in the western Gulf of Mexico began evacuating platforms ahead of the formation of a tropical depression in the region.

Stocks of fuel oil in the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp hub, as measured by Insights Global, declined 5% to 1.171 million mt in the week to Sept. 16.