Independently held fuel oil stocks at the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) hub have averaged 9% higher in August so far than July's monthly average, according to data from Insights Global, the consultancy that tracks weekly inventory levels at the Northwest European trading hub.

The ARA cluster, anchored by the port of Rotterdam — Europe's largest bunkering port — is one of the world's biggest refining and petrochemical centres, and its independently held inventories are widely followed as a gauge of regional oil product supply.

Changes in monthly average ARA stocks from July to August (so far):

• Fuel oil stocks up 380,000 bbls to 4.41 million bbls
• Gasoil stocks down 340,000 bbls to 11.90 million bbls

Fuel oil inventories have climbed by around 22% since May, when they hit their lowest level in more than a decade. Even so, stocks remain 32% below February levels, which preceded the outbreak of the conflict in the Middle East.

The ARA hub has imported 363,000 b/d of fuel oil in August so far, more than double July's monthly average of 159,000 b/d, according to Vortexa cargo flows data. Most shipments originated from Benin (26%), Venezuela (15%) and France (9%).

Exports, meanwhile, have averaged 160,000 b/d of fuel oil so far this month, down from 175,000 b/d in July, with cargoes mainly destined for unloading in Malaysia (31%), Poland (26%) and Spain (17%).

The region's independent gasoil inventories — which include diesel and heating oil — have dropped by 3% in August so far compared with July, the Insights Global data show. Gasoil stocks have fallen to their lowest level in four years. Northwest Europe is structurally short of diesel and depends on seaborne imports to cover demand, with sourcing shifting toward the US, the Middle East and Asia since the EU banned seaborne Russian refined products in February 2023.

Gasoil imports into the region have risen to 148,000 b/d in August so far, up from an average of 119,000 b/d imported in July, according to Vortexa data. The majority of shipments arrived from the US (34%), Sweden (17%) and Nigeria (10%).

Prompt fuel availability is tight in the ARA, and buyers are advised lead times of between 5-7 days to obtain competitive offers from a wide selection of suppliers, a trader told ENGINE.

In Rotterdam, HSFO (high-sulphur fuel oil) and LSMGO (low-sulphur marine gas oil) bunker prices have gained around 9% and 8% respectively over the past month, while VLSFO (very low sulphur fuel oil) prices have declined by around 2% over the same period, according to ENGINE data. HSFO is consumed mainly by vessels fitted with exhaust gas cleaning systems, or scrubbers, which allow them to comply with the IMO's 0.5% global sulphur cap while burning cheaper high-sulphur blends, while VLSFO and LSMGO serve the wider fleet.

Upcoming weekly Insights Global releases will show whether the elevated fuel oil import pace continues to rebuild stocks, and whether gasoil inventories recover from their four-year low.

Source: By Nachiket Tekawade, ENGINE, published in Port News, 24/08/2026.