Bunkering in China — Zhoushan & Shanghai

China's rise

China set out to build a bunker hub to rival Singapore, and the numbers show progress. Zhoushan handled about 7.3 million tonnes in 2024 and Shanghai about 4.1 million tonnes — Shanghai growing over 20% year on year, the fastest of any top-ten hub. Multi-fuel infrastructure and digital nomination systems are being built out aggressively.

The hubs

Zhoushan — China's number one

At the mouth of the Yangtze near Ningbo, Zhoushan is China's largest bunker port and the centre of its bonded low-sulphur fuel oil market. Deep supplier competition and tax-free bonded pricing make it genuinely competitive with the traditional hubs.

Shanghai & Ningbo

Shanghai combines enormous container throughput with fast-growing bunker capacity; neighbouring Ningbo-Zhoushan forms one of the world's busiest cargo complexes. For vessels already calling these ports, bunkering on the spot avoids any detour.

The bonded bunker system

China supplies international vessels with bonded (duty- and VAT-free) low-sulphur fuel oil, which is what makes its pricing competitive for foreign-going ships. The bonded quota system has expanded steadily, improving availability. LNG bunkering is growing at the major terminals.

What it means for buyers

If a vessel is calling China for cargo, bunkering there increasingly makes commercial sense on price alone — the historic reflex of topping up only at Singapore is worth re-examining. Seven Ocean sources across Zhoushan, Shanghai and Ningbo. See the full picture in the global volume table, and how China compares with Singapore.