Fuel Switch Snapshot: Pooling Party Cools for B100 and LBM

International Shipping News, 29/07/2026

OceanScore’s FuelEU pooling price index has fallen to €131.75/mtCO2e ($150/mtCO2e), down by about €28/mtCO2e ($32/mtCO2e) over the past week. The move matters because the index is a key reference for the value of compliance pooling under FuelEU Maritime, which can influence the relative economics of low-emission marine fuels and conventional bunker grades on eligible EU trade lanes.

Over the same period, ENGINE-assessed FuelEU Maritime pooling values for B100 and liquefied biomethane (LBM) on EU-EU voyages have declined by $86/mt and $120-140/mt, respectively.

The decline has been sharper over the past month, although most of it occurred in the past week. Since 29 June, OceanScore’s FuelEU pooling price index has dropped by €40/mtCO2e ($46/mtCO2e), with roughly 70% of that decrease coming in the latest week. The fall in the underlying benchmark has reduced B100’s potential pooling value by $123/mt over the past month to $405/mt.

LBM has been affected even more severely, with its pooling values falling by $171-201/mt over the same period to $562-659/mt.

Liquid fuels

The drop in B100’s pooling value for EU-EU voyages has weakened the fuel’s affordability in Rotterdam, where its bunker price has risen by $144/mt over the past week.

As a result, B100 has moved to a $110/mt premium over Rotterdam’s VLSFO, after trading at a $105/mt discount the previous week.

B100’s discount to LSMGO has narrowed by $201/mt to $340/mt over the past week, with a $57/mt decline in Rotterdam’s LSMGO price also contributing to the change.

In Singapore, HSFO and VLSFO benchmarks have edged down by $6-7/mt, while the LSMGO price has fallen by $17/mt over the past week.

The port’s B100 benchmark has gained $91/mt, driven by a higher outright price and a $43/mt drop in B100’s pooling value for EU-nonEU voyages. Singapore’s B100 has moved to a $2/mt premium over its LSMGO, from a $106/mt discount in the previous week.

Liquid gases

The decline in LBM’s pooling values for EU-EU voyages has erased the fuel’s price advantage over VLSFO in Rotterdam for dual-fuel vessels with Otto medium-speed (Otto MS) engines.

LBM has shifted to a $25/mt premium over VLSFO for vessels with Otto MS engines, compared with a $203/mt discount a week earlier.

For vessels with diesel slow-speed (diesel SS) engines, LBM still trades at a discount to VLSFO in Rotterdam. However, that discount has narrowed by $248/mt over the past week to $149/mt.

LBM discounts to LSMGO in Rotterdam have also narrowed by $215-234/mt over the past week to $424-598/mt, depending on engine type.

Its discounts to LNG have narrowed by $114-115/mt over the past week to $289-297/mt.

Source: ENGINE,