Does CBIL supply bitumen from the UAE in drums or bulk?

Both. Drummed lots start at one container (about 20 t) and hot-bulk parcels at around 2,000 t; the packaging follows the discharge port's handling and the buyer's storage.

Which grade do buyers in the Indian Ocean usually take from the UAE?

Penetration 60/70 is the default for road programmes in South Asia and East Africa; 80/100 is taken where softer binders are specified; oxidised grades go to roofing and industrial users.

How is origin proven on a UAE-loading cargo?

The certificate of origin names the refinery or blending plant, and the independent inspector certifies the specification at filling. We do not arrange cargoes without both.

Can CBIL also fix the ship?

Yes. Our chartering desk, LaycanDesk, prices bitumen tankers and drummed-bitumen liner or breakbulk freight from the Gulf to the Indian Ocean and East Africa.

Gulf · United Arab Emirates

Bitumen Suppliers in the UAE

The Gulf's re-drumming hub, and where most Indian Ocean bitumen is priced

The UAE does not declare its bitumen exports, so the size of the trade is read from the buyers: in 2025 the countries reporting imports from the UAE declared 1.12 million tonnes of HS 2713.20, led by India (759,000 t, bulk), Malaysia (192,000 t), South Africa (72,000 t) and Sri Lanka (23,000 t), with Ghana, Angola, Mauritius, the Philippines, Thailand and Myanmar behind them. Much of that product is Gulf refinery output blended, re-drummed and re-exported from Fujairah and Jebel Ali, which is why a buyer in Colombo, Mombasa or Dar es Salaam is quoting against a UAE drum price whether or not the drum was filled there.

CBIL brokers UAE-loading bitumen 60/70, 80/100, 40/50 and oxidised grades in new 150 or 180 kg steel drums, jumbo bags, bitutainers and hot bulk, on FOB Fujairah or Jebel Ali and CFR or CIF destination terms. Every cargo we arrange ships against SGS or Intertek certification of penetration, softening point and RTFOT at the filling point, with the refinery of origin named on the certificate of origin. We quote for a named buyer, to a named port, on a stated delivery basis; a requirement with those three things gets a priced offer, and one without them gets a question first.

Need the ship as well? Our chartering desk prices bitumen tanker and drummed bitumen freight on LaycanDesk.

The market in figures

Declared imports from the UAE, 2025: 1,123,680 t (22 reporting countries)
Largest buyers: India 68% · Malaysia 17% · South Africa 6% · Sri Lanka 2%
Loading points: Fujairah, Jebel Ali, Ruwais
Typical packaging: 150/180 kg new steel drums, jumbo bags, bitutainers, hot bulk
Grades: 60/70, 80/100, 40/50, oxidised 85/25 and 115/15

Official trade data; sources listed below. Landed values are the importing country's declared CIF, not CBIL prices.

Questions buyers ask

Does CBIL supply bitumen from the UAE in drums or bulk?: Both. Drummed lots start at one container (about 20 t) and hot-bulk parcels at around 2,000 t; the packaging follows the discharge port's handling and the buyer's storage.
Which grade do buyers in the Indian Ocean usually take from the UAE?: Penetration 60/70 is the default for road programmes in South Asia and East Africa; 80/100 is taken where softer binders are specified; oxidised grades go to roofing and industrial users.
How is origin proven on a UAE-loading cargo?: The certificate of origin names the refinery or blending plant, and the independent inspector certifies the specification at filling. We do not arrange cargoes without both.
Can CBIL also fix the ship?: Yes. Our chartering desk, LaycanDesk, prices bitumen tankers and drummed-bitumen liner or breakbulk freight from the Gulf to the Indian Ocean and East Africa.

Sources

UN Comtrade, HS 2713.20, mirror of reporters declaring imports from partner 784 (UAE), 2025: 1,123,680 t; India 758,666 t; Malaysia 192,414 t; South Africa 72,263 t; Sri Lanka 23,094 t.
Packaging and grades: standard Gulf drum-filling practice; specifications per EN 12591 and ASTM D946.