Building better LNG bunkering intelligence

For ship owners and maritime professionals, understanding global bunkering volumes and events is critical, as it directly influences operational efficiency, cost management, regulatory compliance, and more. Professionals require this intelligence to precisely forecast fuel needs, avoid disruptions, and strategically position their fleets to capitalize on cost advantages and new market opportunities. To now, accurate and comprehensive bunkering intelligence has been difficult to surface given the complexity of the supply chain involved, the multiple types of vessels and the need to track globally. 

Kpler has recently released its latest product that delivers detailed information on LNG bunkering volumes and events, including commercial details, across the globe. By leveraging data across its ecosystems, with commodity tracking intelligence and ship tracking intelligence, Kpler is able to deliver detailed bunkering data. Maritime professionals can tap into this powerful resource to solve pressing challenges, such as optimizing fuel procurement strategies, ensuring regulatory adherence, and effectively managing the transition to cleaner fuels. With this new product, professionals can drill down into regional dynamics, discover emerging hubs, and visualize bunker flows clearly through heat maps and analytics to stay ahead in the evolving marine fuels market by identifying growth opportunities and strategic trends. 

Let’s take a look at how this product has been built from the bottom up by combining Kpler & MarineTraffic intelligence.

Event detection methodology

We use MarineTraffic’s foundational event detection capabilities, which cover the majority of global events, and then enhance them with additional validation and analysis by Kpler’s dedicated Data Operations team. This dual-layered process allows us to produce a comprehensive and refined view of bunkering activity, globally for LNG.

To identify bunkering events with a high degree of accuracy, we begin by detecting vessels that regularly operate as bunkering barges based on their behavioral patterns, vessel type, and operational zones. This classification is refreshed regularly to ensure the most relevant and up-to-date identification of active bunkering vessels.

Once potential barges are identified, we analyze global vessel movements to detect interactions between these barges and larger vessels. A combination of spatial positioning, vessel proximity, alignment, and speed patterns is used to determine when a likely bunkering event has occurred. The approach accounts for whether interactions are taking place within or outside of ports and ensures that both vessels meet distinct criteria before an event is confirmed.

LNG volumes methodology

Kpler’s LNG bunkering volume estimation methodology is based on tracking LNG flows into and from bunkering vessels across terminals and other vessels. The process begins by identifying and sequencing all LNG-related activities involving each bunkering vessel, including:

• Loading or discharging at terminals
• Ship-to-Ship (STS) transfers with other LNG carriers
• Bunkering operations with LNG-powered vessels

This chronological sequencing ensures all LNG movements are accurately accounted for and that volume assignments adhere to operational constraints—such as not exceeding onboard LNG volumes or available tank ullage.

Once activities are ordered, each is assigned a volume estimate based on the following parameters:

• Tank capacity of both the LNG bunkering and receiving vessels
• Draught levels of the LNG bunkering vessel
• Loading rate of LNG bunkering vessels
• Duration of bunkering events
• Validated third-party data to calibrate estimations

This structured approach enables reliable, constraint-aware LNG bunkering intelligence grounded in vessel behavior and real-world operations.

What's next?

Our team is hard at work on ensuring we deliver the most accurate and comprehensive data to enable our customers to make better decisions, faster. We invite you to check out our LNG Bunkering intelligence by requesting a demo below to learn more about how Kpler's intelligence tools can unlock insight to drive your business profitably into the future.