Panama (Balboa) bunker prices
PAPTY · PA · Major bunkering hub
Individual prices at Panama (Balboa)
| Grade | USD / MT | Updated |
|---|---|---|
| HSFO | $659 | 2026-10-097d |
| MGO | $1424 | 2026-10-097d |
| VLSFO | $772 | 2026-10-097d |
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 Panama (Balboa)
13 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 Panama (Balboa)
Operational notes, from the port authority and the suppliers’ own published documents. Checked 2026-08-31.
At Balboa bunkering is an anchorage job. ACP Advisory to Shipping A-29-2022 designates the bunkering areas in Canal waters, and for the Pacific Terminal it lists exactly one: the Dangerous Cargo Anchorage (Explosive Anchorage). Anything elsewhere needs Canal approval before you schedule it. Harbour operations notice N-2-2025 puts it the same way: vessels taking bunkers or lubricating oil, or discharging oil residues and slops, will normally be required to anchor in the Pacific Explosives anchorage. Call Flamenco Signal Station on VHF 12 at eight nautical miles from the Pacific Sea Buoy; Flamenco coordinates anchorage entry and exit.
Alongside is awkward. N-2-2025 treats bunkering at a Balboa dock from a tank vessel moored on the offshore side as not a recommended practice; the Transit Operations Division Manager may allow exceptions case by case, and both ships then sign Form 3821, which requires a safety checklist built on an agreed bunkering plan covering grades, total quantities, transfer rates and times. Pilots are required for bunkering in the harbour even where a vessel is otherwise pilot-exempt.
For scale, Monjasa's MT Accra, 2010-built and 8,800 dwt, made her first supply at Balboa Anchorage on 18 January and is operated by Monjasa at Balboa.
- Neither A-29-2022 nor N-2-2025 publishes a maximum stem size, transfer rate or barge size limit for the Pacific Explosives anchorage, so the ceiling has to come from the supplier.
- No weather or sea-state limit is published for Pacific-side bunkering; the good-weather condition in A-29-2022 attaches only to the Atlantic Outer Anchorage.
- N-2-2025 sets no daylight-only rule for Balboa; its daylight movement condition belongs to Neopanamax and Panamax Plus bunkering at Cristobal's Inner Anchorage.
- The ACP notices do not list the licensed physical suppliers at Balboa or the grades each carries.
- No notice period is published for booking a bunkers-only call at Balboa.
Ask the supplier to confirm these before you fix a stem on them.
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 | 2026-09-0739d | |
| 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.
Panama (Balboa) bunkering FAQ
- What is the bunker price at Panama (Balboa) today?
- The table above shows the latest indicative prices at Panama (Balboa) (PAPTY) 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 Panama (Balboa) a cheap bunkering port?
- At the last update Panama (Balboa) was showing $772/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 Panama (Balboa)?
- Panama (Balboa) 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.