Cristobal bunker prices
PACTB · PA · Major bunkering hub
Arithmetic on the 6 nearest ports where a price was observed, weighted by distance. Nobody has quoted this at Cristobal, and it carries nothing about the barge, the volume or your credit — which is what actually sets the number.
Why there is no assessment here yet
Only 0 observations in the last 72 hours. We publish an assessment from 3 or more.
No price is published for this port yet. Our assessment is built only from what we observe here — prices suppliers submit to us, quotes received against requests raised here, and stems that close — so it appears once this port has traffic. A request raised now still reaches suppliers; it does not wait for an index.
Our own assessment, computed from observations made on this platform: prices submitted by suppliers, quotes received against requests raised here, and stems that closed. Weighted by how firm each observation is (a closed stem counts three times a list price), by how recent it is, and by parcel size. Values more than 15% from the median are excluded. No third-party assessment is used as an input, and no number is published from fewer than three observations or fewer than two independent sources.
Who supplies fuel at Cristobal
Read from each company's own published coverage of this port. No port authority register was found for Cristobal, so treat this as a starting list rather than a complete one.
Their bunker desks, or send one request and let the replies come to you.
Taking fuel at Cristobal
Operational notes, from the port authority and the suppliers’ own published documents. Checked 2026-08-31.
Cristobal bunkering happens at anchor in Limon Bay, never in the locks or channels — the Canal does not permit refuelling under way. Under the Panama Canal Authority's harbour rules, light-draft vessels take bunkers at the Delta Anchorage near the east breakwater and deep-draft vessels at the Inner Explosive Anchorage; the Cristobal Canal port captain must authorise the operation, and bunkering is not permitted in any other anchorage area. A pilot anchors every vessel that will take bunkers within Limon Bay. For Neopanamax and Panamax Plus ships the notice adds that they may enter the Inner Anchorage at up to 14.4 m (47 ft 3 in) draft with no length or beam limit, move in and out only in daylight with one tug (a second on pilot request), and shift to the Outer Anchorage once bunkering is complete.
Larger ships that once lost time re-anchoring at Balboa can now take a bunker-only call at the Outer Anchorage: Monjasa reports supplying LSMGO and VLSFO there by tanker (MT Monjasa Supplier, 8,839 dwt), which it says cuts 24–48 hours of idle time per transit. Confirm grade and barge with your supplier before fixing.
- The ACP harbour notice does not publish a maximum stem size for Cristobal anchorage bunkering.
- HSFO availability at Cristobal is not stated in the sources read; Monjasa lists only LSMGO and VLSFO for its Outer Anchorage service.
- The ACP notice does not state weather or sea-state limits for the Outer Anchorage bunker-only calls.
Ask the supplier to confirm these before you fix a stem on them.
The working behind the estimate above.
Those are prices at those ports, not at Cristobal, and the distances are great-circle rather than routed. The estimate above is arithmetic on them — it carries no information about the barge, the volume or your credit, which is what actually sets the number. A request is the only way to get a real one.
Indicative only. Typical stem time here is about 8 hours alongside.
VLSFO at nearby and alternative ports
| Port | Grade | USD / MT | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|
Panama Canallow | VLSFO | $795 | 2026-09-0145d |
| VLSFO | $819 | 2026-09-0343d | |
| VLSFO | $815 | 2026-09-0541d | |
| VLSFO | $811 | 2026-09-0740d | |
| VLSFO | $832 | 2026-09-0938d | |
| VLSFO | $842 | 2026-09-1136d |
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.
Cristobal bunkering FAQ
- What is the bunker price at Cristobal today?
- No price is published at Cristobal. The closest port where one is, is Panama Canal, about 22 nautical miles away — VLSFO at $795 a tonne.
- Is Cristobal a cheap bunkering port?
- Whether a port is cheap for your vessel depends on the deviation cost, not just the headline price — reaching a cheaper port costs charter hire and fuel.
- Does EU ETS apply at Cristobal?
- Cristobal 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.