Contract Purpose
This differential contract allows market participants to:
- Trade the price spread between Singapore 0.5% Very Low Sulphur Fuel Oil (VLSFO) and Singapore Gasoil directly
- Hedge the differential between two of Asia’s most important marine and transport fuels
- Manage exposure to both VLSFO and gasoil price movements in the Asian market
- Implement trading and risk management strategies that reflect the economics of blending, refining, and fuel switching in shipping and transport sectors
Market Significance
Fuel Spread Benchmark: Provides a direct tool for tracking and managing the profitability of producing, blending, or switching between VLSFO and gasoil in Asia
Regional Price Indicator: Captures the economic relationship between marine fuel (VLSFO) and transport fuel (gasoil) demand and supply in a key global hub
Shipping & Compliance Relevance: Reflects the impact of IMO 2020 sulphur regulations and ongoing shifts in marine fuel consumption
Trading Benefits
- Spread Management: Simplifies hedging or trading the VLSFO/gasoil spread with a single contract
- Efficient Risk Control: Directly addresses the risk of price movements between two closely linked fuel products
- Capital Efficiency: Reduces margin requirements compared to holding separate positions in both legs
- Regional Exposure: Provides focused access to Asian marine and transport fuel market dynamics
This contract is especially valuable for refiners, shipping companies, fuel suppliers, and trading firms active in the marine and transport fuel markets. It provides a specialised tool for managing the spread between these two vital benchmarks, supporting both operational hedging and speculative trading strategies in the region’s dynamic energy sector.