SINGAPORE - Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) has issued a term tender offering low-sulphur fuel oil (LSFO) with maximum sulphur content of 0.5% for loading between July and December this year, several trade sources said on Thursday.

The minimum total volume for lifting will be 360,000 metric tons over the loading period, with the product to be lifted in parcels of about 120,000 tons to 130,000 tons each at the buyer's option, sources said.

Meanwhile, the seller has an option to supply an additional 360,000 tons during the same period.

The tender closes on May 14.

The refiner is expected to offer fewer cargoes on a spot basis during the summer months as it allocates more LSFO for higher domestic power generation, sources said.

Since bringing its Al Zour refinery online in late 2022, Kuwait has become a major exporter of fuel oil, with most of its low-sulphur supplies heading to key bunker hubs Singapore and the UAE's Fujairah.

(Reporting by Jeslyn Lerh; editing by Christina Fincher and Susan Fenton)