Bunker

Bunker is the term for the fuel oil consumed by a ship's main engines and auxiliary generators. The act of refuelling a ship is called bunkering. Major bunker grades include HFO (Heavy Fuel Oil), MGO (Marine Gas Oil), VLSFO (Very Low Sulphur Fuel Oil — IMO 2020 compliant), and LNG/methanol for newer dual-fuel vessels.

Bunker procurement is one of the largest operational costs for shipping (often 50%+ of voyage cost). Bunker management workflows include: requirement forecasting per voyage, multi-port RFQ, price hedging, surveyor-witnessed delivery, stem reconciliation against quoted quantity, and IMO 2020 sulphur compliance evidence.