Singapore bunker or ship fuel prices eased on Monday under the weight of a sharp fall in crude, but traders said active buying interest helped stem losses.
Traders pegged 380-centistoke (cst) bunker fuel oil at $179-$180 a tonne, down $1-$2 from Friday, with lighter 180-cst pegged $5-$6 a tonne higher than 380-cst prices.
"The market could be worse because of crude, but everybody's in to buy today and inquiries are active," a local trader said, referring to a late-day drop in NYMEX light crude futures that saw the August contract fall 70 cents to $36.85 a barrel by 0955 GMT.
Prices remained under pressure from ample supply, which remained nearly 44 percent above year-ago levels despite a drop of more than one million barrels last week.
Marine gas oil was offered at $309 a tonne, mostly steady from Friday on support from tight prompt availability in the bunker market, traders said.