Durban’s Hi5 spread has widened sharply in the past month as the price of very low‑sulphur fuel oil rose sharply while heavy fuel oil remained broadly flat, sources indicated on 2 October 2026.
According to ENGINE’s price data cited by reports, Durban’s Hi5 spread stood at $308/mt on 2 October 2026, up from $80/mt on 1 September 2026. The report described the change as a marked widening over the course of the month.
The same price data show Durban’s VLSFO price increasing by $245/mt to reach $1,177/mt on 2 October 2026. By contrast, the port’s HSFO price was reported as holding broadly flat over the same interval, the source stated.
Those movements mean the Hi5 spread in Durban expanded by $228/mt between 1 September and 2 October 2026, a roughly 285% rise from the $80/mt level recorded at the start of the period, according to the figures published.
Key figures from The report and ENGINE data:
- Hi5 spread in Durban: $80/mt on 1 September 2026; $308/mt on 2 October 2026.
- Change in Hi5 spread: +$228/mt over the month.
- Durban VLSFO price on 2 October 2026: $1,177/mt; reported increase of $245/mt over the month.
Price movement in Durban
The reporting underlines that the advance in the VLSFO price was the principal driver of the wider Hi5 spread recorded in Durban between 1 September and 2 October 2026. ENGINE’s price series is cited directly for the numerical changes.
Spread dynamics and relative stability
Sources noted that Durban’s HSFO price remained broadly flat while VLSFO climbed, producing the sharp divergence captured in the Hi5 metric. The published figures show the spread moved from a relatively narrow premium of $80/mt to a substantially larger differential.
The report presents the numbers without assigning specific causes for the VLSFO move or for the steadiness of HSFO. It attributes the quantitative changes to ENGINE’s price data and dates the reporting to 2 October 2026.
The widening of the Hi5 spread in Durban, as reported, is immediately visible in the month‑on‑month arithmetic produced by the figures. Those figures are drawn from the reports item and the ENGINE price series it cites.
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