Diesel is one of the most traded products in the world, and also one of the most misrepresented. For every genuine EN590 cargo offered out of Rotterdam, there are many offers that never become a cargo. The difference usually shows up in the structure.
EN590 is the European standard for road diesel. Among other things, it caps sulphur at 10 mg/kg, which is why the market calls it 10ppm diesel. Rotterdam is the centre of the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp storage hub, so it's where much of Northwest Europe's diesel is stored, blended and loaded.
FOB, not CIF
Under FOB (Free On Board, Incoterms 2020), the seller delivers the product onto the buyer's vessel at the load port. Risk passes once it's on board. The buyer arranges the ship, the freight and the insurance.
That's why FOB Rotterdam suits buyers who control their own tonnage. They can see the product loaded, they choose the vessel, and they don't have to rely on a seller's promise about a cargo already at sea. Many CIF offers fall apart because nobody can show the buyer where the product really is.
Tank and terminal come first
A real FOB deal is tied to a real place: a named terminal, product held in tank, and a seller with the right to move it. Before any money is discussed, a serious buyer checks three things:
The terminal. It should be named, exist, and be able to confirm the seller as a customer, through proper channels and with the seller's consent.
The product. Recent quality documents that match EN590, tied to that tank.
The schedule. A loading window, or laycan, the terminal can actually work to.
If a seller can't get past this stage without asking for fees or documents from the buyer first, that tells you most of what you need to know.
Independent inspection
The quantity and quality loaded are confirmed by an independent inspector, usually one of the major inspection companies, appointed under the contract. The contract says who appoints them and who pays. Their certificate at loading is what the deal settles on, not a PDF circulated weeks earlier.
Payment that follows the product
Payment is normally a documentary letter of credit or another bank instrument agreed between the parties. It's tied to shipping and inspection documents, so money moves when the product does. Structures that ask the buyer to pay first, or to "show funds" before seeing the product, are where most diesel deals go wrong.
Who pays the broker
A broker's fee should be agreed in writing, directly with the party paying it, before any introduction is made. A fee agreement isn't a formality. It's what lets everyone speak openly, without wondering who's being paid by whom along a long chain.
Our view
The best diesel deals we see are short: a seller with product in tank, a buyer with a vessel, tank, or desire to take over a tank, and someone both trust to coordinate the steps in between. Structure isn't paperwork for its own sake. It's how both sides know the deal is real before they commit.
If you're a buyer lifting EN590 FOB Rotterdam, or a seller with product in tank, we're happy to talk it through.
