Colombo bunker prices
LKCMB · LK · Major bunkering hub
Individual prices at Colombo
| Grade | USD / MT | Updated |
|---|---|---|
| MGO | $1560 | 2026-10-097d |
| VLSFO | $995 | 2026-10-097d |
| HSFO | $720 | 2026-09-1333d |
Not an offer to sell — a firm price exists only once a supplier has quoted.
Indicative only. Typical stem time here is about 9 hours alongside.
Who supplies fuel at Colombo
2 of these are on the port authority's register of licensed suppliers. The rest publish their own coverage of this port.
Their bunker desks, or send one request and let the replies come to you.
Taking fuel at Colombo
Operational notes, from the port authority and the suppliers’ own published documents. Checked 2026-08-31.
Colombo's bunker stock sits in the Colombo Oil Bank, the tank farm of Jaya Container Terminals Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority. An SLPA newsletter article of September 2022 describes 13 tanks - seven for LSFO, six for MGO - about 35,000 MT in all, eight bunkering licensees and two jetties in use. The SLPA tariff carries JCT's charges under the same name: pumping from COB to the S/Jetty, heating for IFO 380 CST priced off Ceylon Petroleum Corporation's declared fuel oil price, and US$5.00 per MT supervision on oil transfer to a floating storage or bunker barge. Bunkering at the outer anchorage draws the composite charge of US$2.20 per 100 GT per 24 hours.
Lanka IOC works Colombo with the barge MT Southern Star and publishes barge capacity of 1,600 MT VLSFO and 145 MT LSMGO, VLSFO to ISO 8217:2017 and LSMGO (DMA) to ISO 8217:2005, supplied in port, at anchorage or OPL. Note the limit it publishes against both its Colombo and Trincomalee operations, 200 m LOA and 9.75 m maximum draught; a bigger ship should confirm before fixing.
- The 200 m / 9.75 m figure is Lanka IOC's own and is printed identically against its Colombo and Trincomalee operations; other Colombo suppliers' published limits were not surveyed, so do not read it as a port limit.
- No notice period or booking lead time for bunkering at Colombo is published by SLPA or by Lanka IOC.
- No SLPA rule on bunkering alongside during cargo work, and no night restriction, was found on the Colombo pages and the tariff read here - that is an absence in the sources, not a published permission; confirm with the agent.
- SLPA's own "Bunkering Services" page describes the Hambantota tank farm, not Colombo; no equivalent published Colombo bunkering page was found.
- The 13-tank / 35,000 MT figure comes from a September 2022 SLPA newsletter article whose author states the views are personal, and none of the eight JCT licensees is named in any SLPA source found.
Ask the supplier to confirm these before you fix a stem on them.
VLSFO at nearby and alternative ports
| Port | Grade | USD / MT | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|
Trincomaleelow | VLSFO | $920 | 2026-09-0145d |
Trincomaleelow | VLSFO | $920 | 2026-09-0343d |
Trincomaleelow | VLSFO | $920 | 2026-09-0541d |
Trincomaleelow | VLSFO | $920 | 2026-09-0838d |
Trincomaleelow | VLSFO | $920 | 2026-09-1036d |
Trincomaleelow | VLSFO | $920 | 2026-09-1234d |
Not an offer to sell — a firm price exists only once a supplier has quoted.
A lower headline price at another port is not automatically a saving. Deviation burns fuel and charter hire, and a bunker-only call costs port time.
Colombo bunkering FAQ
- What is the bunker price at Colombo today?
- The table above shows the latest indicative prices at Colombo (LKCMB) for each grade we track, updated daily. These are market indications, not offers — the price you pay depends on quantity, delivery window, specification, your payment terms and your credit position with the supplier.
- Is Colombo a cheap bunkering port?
- At the last update Colombo was showing $995/MT for VLSFO. Whether that is genuinely cheap for your vessel depends on deviation: reaching a port that is $10/MT cheaper is not a saving if it costs a day of charter hire and the fuel burned getting there.
- Does EU ETS apply at Colombo?
- Colombo is outside the EU/EEA, so EU ETS does not apply to a call here in itself. It may still apply to the voyage legs if your vessel is heading to or from an EU port.