Rotterdam’s premium for B30-VLSFO over conventional VLSFO has narrowed after both fuels recorded weekly gains, according to a report by sources published on 18 October 2026.
Over the seven-day period covered by the report, Rotterdam’s B30-VLSFO (POMEME) rose by $36 per metric tonne while conventional VLSFO in the Dutch port climbed by $54 per metric tonne, moving the differential down by $17 to stand at $174/mt.
Dutch suppliers retain the ability to issue ZRE A tickets when they sell eligible low‑carbon fuels, and those certificates can be traded, the report notes.
Market movements in Rotterdam
The concomitant increases in both B30-VLSFO and VLSFO prices left the biofuel premium reduced even though the B30 product itself strengthened in absolute terms; the narrower spread reflects the larger absolute advance in conventional VLSFO over the same week.
Price metrics reported for the week provide a snapshot of the relative cost of blending or switching to the B30 grade in Rotterdam, with the premium now quantified at $174/mt above conventional VLSFO.
Role of ZRE A tickets
reports highlighted that Dutch suppliers can generate ZRE A tickets for sales of qualifying low‑carbon fuels; those tickets are tradable and therefore represent an additional commercial instrument which may be accounted for by sellers and buyers when assessing the net economics of low‑carbon bunker transactions.
The availability of tradable certificates does not alter the immediate cash price figures reported for the fuels, but it forms part of the wider commercial framework in which low‑carbon fuel sales and pricing are settled in Rotterdam.
Commercial implication
For charterers and bunker purchasers, the reported narrowing of the premium will influence cost comparisons between sourcing the blended B30 grade and conventional VLSFO at the Rotterdam window, with the precise decision depending on vessel compliance requirements and any financial value attributed to ZRE A tickets.
Suppliers and traders monitoring the Rotterdam market will note the week-on-week movements as one input among many when setting offers; the $36/mt lift in B30-VLSFO and the $54/mt rise in VLSFO together produced the reported change in the premium to $174/mt.
Outlook
The figures published by reports on 18 October 2026 present the most recent weekly snapshot available in the sourced report; market participants will look for subsequent price updates and certificate trades to assess whether the premium stabilises, tightens further or widens again in coming reporting periods.
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