Bunker Delivery Notes News

The Singapore government has recounted the achievements of Maritime Singapore to date to highlight the nation’s successes as a maritime hub in 2023:Total business spending by key maritime companies overseen by MPA exceeded S$4.8 billion, up from S$4.3 billion in 2022. Twenty-five maritime companies established or expanded their operations in Singapore last year. These included maritime services companies and companies setting up sustainability desks in Singapore as part of their…

Singapore's Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) will launch a digital bunkering initiative on Nov. 1, making the city-state the first port in the world to use electronic bunker fuel delivery notes, the MPA said on Monday.The digital notes will replace physical documents containing information on fuel oil deliveries. Under the initiative, fuel suppliers, ship owners, operators, and crew will be encouraged to use mobile and cloud-based applications approved by the MPA to complete and issue bunkering documents.

Pavilion Energy and DNV have said they have developed a fit-for-purpose LNG bunker digital solution for employment in the Port of Singapore.The companies said they'd developed a tailored digital bunkering platform ‘FuelBoss’ to meet local requirements."As a fully digitalized end-to-end bunkering solution, FuelBoss will improve process integrity, data transparency, and operational efficiency for customers. This includes digital checklists and electronic Bunker Delivery Notes developments…

TotalEnergies and CMA CGM launched Marseilles’ inaugural ship-to-containership Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) bunkering operation in the Port of Marseille Fos, Southern France.CMA CGM BALI, a 15,000 TEU LNG-powered containership is deployed on the MEX 1service, connecting Asia and South Europe. The ship was refuelled by TotalEnergies’ Gas Vitality, the first LNG bunker vessel based in France, with around 6,000 cu. m. of LNG, by means of a ship-to-ship transfer alongside the Eurofos container terminal, while the containership carried out cargo operations simultaneously.

The first LNG bunker vessel to be based in France has been named “Gas Vitality”, at a ceremony held today at Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding, China. The 18,600-m³ newbuild bunker vessel is TotalEnergies Marine Fuels’ second collaboration with shipowner Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd (MOL) and shipbuilder, Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding following the signing of a long-term charter contract in November 2019. Classed by Bureau Veritas and operated by V.Ships France under the French flag, the Gas Vitality will enter operational service in December 2021 and be based in the Port of Marseille- Fos…

With the January 1 implementation of IMO 2020, which requires dramatic reductions in the sulfur content of emissions from ocean-going vessels, the United States government issued a new rule that it asserts actually facilitates the distribution of compliant fuel.The US Environmental Protection Agency asserts that it is taking steps to allow for the distribution of distillate fuel with sulfur content of up to 5,000 ppm sulfur—something that it asserts was previously prohibited.

The owner and operator will pay a total criminal fine of $3,000,000.00.U.S. Attorney Gretchen Shappert for the District of the Virgin Islands announced that IONIAN SHIPPING & TRADING CORP., LILY SHIPPING LTD., STAMATIOS ALEKIDIS, ATHANASIOS PITTAS and REY ESPULGAR have been convicted and sentenced for various pollution, recordkeeping, and obstruction of justice crimes on the Motor Tanker (“M/T”) Ocean Princess in St. Croix, U.S.V.I. The defendants’ conduct included using fuel that exceeded the maximum allowable sulfur concentration in the U.S. Caribbean Emission Control Area (“U.S.

“Consistent Compliance” : The Paris MoU has published its 2018 Annual Report on July 1, 2019, which can be found on the website. This report contains the details of the activities of the Paris MoU during 2018. In 2018 there were 24 Refusal of Access Orders (referred to as “bannings”) issued. This shows a decrease from 32 in 2017. Refusal of access (banning) has been used 77 times since 2016.The detention percentage decreased to 3.15% (from 3.87%) and the number of detainable deficiencies also decreased to 3,171 (from 3,883 in 2017).

The Paris Memorandum of Understanding (Paris MoU) on Port State Control held its 52nd Committee meeting in St. Petersburg, the Russian Federation, from 13-17 May 2019, chaired by Brian Hogan.The meeting was opened by Yuri Kostin, Director of Department on State Policy on Maritime and River Transport, Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation.The Committee reviewed the work of the Paris MoU of the last year, also taking into account the declaration of the 3rd Joint Ministerial Conference, and took decisions for the period ahead.The Committee considered the report of the Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) on MARPOL Annex VI. The CIC was carried out from September to November 2018.

Industry frets about the coming deadline. Shipping desperately wants to be ready, but will global shore-based infrastructure and refining capacity match the demand that is sure to come? And … are regulators listening to industry’s concerns? In early June, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) held a public workshop in Washington to help the agencies prepare for the January 1, 2020 deadline for worldwide implementation of very low sulfur marine fuel that meets the new 0.50% sulfur cap as set forth by the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

ABS has launched ABS Nautical Systems NS Voyage Manager to simplify compliance reporting. The cloud-based, subscription application facilitates compliance with a range of environmental regulations, including the European Union (EU) Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) regulation for CO 2 emissions. “With EU MRV already in effect and additional regulations on the horizon, such as the International Maritime Organization’s Data Collection System requirement, operators need an easy way to manage the increasing volume of data required for reporting,” says ABS Chief Technology Officer and ABS Nautical Systems President Howard Fireman.

Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) introduced several new initiatives at SIBCON as part of Singapore’s continued efforts to enhance bunkering processes and prepare the bunkering industry to meet future demands. MPA previously announced the mandatory adoption of MFM for Marine Fuel Oil (MFO) deliveries in the Port of Singapore from 1 January 2017. MPA is on track for implementation with 110 bunker tankers already approved to perform MFO deliveries through MFM in the Port of Singapore. More than 23 bunker tankers have also been scheduled for installation and testing over the next two months. Moving ahead, MPA will put in an additional S$0.5 million to fund the test-bedding of the use of MFM for Distillates deliveries.

Spot sampling and analysis of a ship’s fuel is becoming increasingly common as a means for port state control officers to verify the actual sulphur content of the fuel in use. The shipping industry is facing increasingly stricter air emission limits all over the world. Ships berthed in EU ports have used marine fuel with a sulphur content not exceeding 0.10 per cent since 1 January 2010. Transport Canada (TC) started to rigorously monitor all ships operating within the Canadian jurisdiction of the North American Emission Control Area (NA-ECA) to ensure they are using fuel containing not more than 0.10 per cent sulphur by mass. A ship may be targeted for a sulphur inspection for various reasons, e.g.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has fined JL Petroleum for supplying marine fuel in the world’s largest bunkering hub without a valid license. In an announcement on Wednesday, MPA said it brought charges against JL Petroleum for selling bunkers on 14 occasions between 2-25 June 2013. Additionally, the company used Bunker Delivery Notes belonging to licensed supplier Excel Petroleum Enterprise for its deliveries. MPA had cancelled Excel Petroleum’s bunker supplier licence on 15 January 2014 for the company’s involvement in this case, as its actions had breached the terms and conditions of the licence. JL Petroleum was fined for an undisclosed sum, according to the MPA announcement.

BIMCO has today launched the Bunker Non-Lien Clause, aimed at reducing bunker suppliers’ reliance on ship arrest as a means of resolving claims for bunkers ordered but not paid for by time charterers, often due to bankruptcy. If a time charterer goes out of business during the currency of a charter,  owners can sometimes face a “double whammy” of loss of hire for the balance of the contract and then subsequent arrest of their vessel by bunker suppliers pursuing a claim for unpaid bunkers. Bunker suppliers are able to arrest a vessel (in some, but not all jurisdictions) by enforcing a right of lien or retention over the bunkers for the money they are owed, even though the owners, under a time charter, are not a party to the bunker supply contract.

Trident Alliance, the shipping industry initiative for robust enforcement of maritime sulphur regulations, broadens its platform as some of Germany’s and Denmark’s most prominent shipping companies join its ranks together with new members from Chile, Greece, The Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Belgium. Roger Strevens, Chairman, is  delighted at the level of industry engagement: “We are just a few weeks away from what will be a sea-change in the regulatory landscape for shipping, namely the introduction of the 0.1 % sulphur limits in ECA zones on 1 January 2015. This brings membership to a total of 31 companies. The member company CEO’s have each signed a Statement of Commitment…

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will soon take action to ensure compliance with the forthcoming 0.10 percent fuel sulphur limits in the North American and U.S. Caribbean Sea Emmission Control Areas (ECAs), the USCG’s Maritime Commons said. “We will be coordinated in our efforts to ensure compliance with the new requirements effective January 1, 2015,” said Rear Adm. Paul Thomas, assistant commandant for Prevention Policy at U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters. According to Maritime Commons, the USCG will continue to check Bunker Delivery Notes and other records during Port State and Flag State visits to vessels…

Major oil companies, trade firms to expand market share; tight credit hits small retailers. The collapse of OW Bunker in the wake of an alleged fraud at its Singapore trading unit will shake up the city state's more than $25 billion marine fuel market, the world's largest, as major companies expand and small ones shrink amid a credit squeeze. OW Bunker, a leading supplier of marine fuel oil known as "bunker", filed for bankruptcy in Denmark a week ago after it revealed losses of at least $125 million at Dynamic Oil Trading, prompting banks to refuse to provide new credit lines. In a market that relies heavily on open credit, traders fear the incident could create a domino effect, pulling more companies down with it.

Parker Kittiwake, part of the Parker Hannifin Corporation and the supplier of Continuous Emissions Monitoring Systems (CEMS) for marine applications, has doubled its manufacturing capacity in direct response to an increase in industry demand ahead of the imminent 2015 ECA deadline. As a result of the increase in orders over the last year, the company has doubled its revenue. Parker Kittiwake said in-situ CEMS are the most effective method for measuring emissions, and continuous monitoring of sulphur emissions is one of two methods that can be used to verify the scrubbers’ performance…

In advance of a critical intergovernmental meeting next month at the UN International Maritime Organization (IMO), the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) has called on IMO Member States to give careful consideration to shipowners’ concerns about the implementation of an avalanche of new environmental regulations, which are about to impact on ship operations at more or less the same time. ICS Chairman, Masamichi Morooka, explained: “The shipping industry is not in any way questioning the need for these important new IMO rules and is fully committed to implementation. In advance of next month’s IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC)…

The UK P&I Club has issued a 'Legal Briefing' to share its legal expertise and experience on the stricter air pollution regulations that are on the horizon. By 18th June 2014 all European Union member states are expected to implement directive 2012/33/EU, which brings European national air pollution laws in line with MARPOL Annex VI. EU regulations have recently been brought in line with MARPOL Annex VI to ensure coherence with international law. However EU member states are also being encouraged to introduce more stringent measures to speed up implementation of lower sulphur limits for marine fuels. The first step towards reducing SOx emissions by ocean-going ships was taken in 1999 through the EU Directive 99/32/EU.

Progressive Power Co Pte Ltd pleaded guilty in court on May 20, 2014 to five charges for supplying bunkers on five occasions in the Port of Singapore without a valid bunker supplier license issued by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), as required under Regulation 64(a) of MPA Port Regulations and committed an offence punishable under Regulation 78(b) of the said Regulations. Another 10 charges were taken into consideration. MPA had brought charges against Progressive Power Co Pte Ltd, for delivering bunkers on eight occasions as a bunker craft operator between March 17, 2013 and July 5, 2013, and for supplying bunkers on seven occasions as a bunker supplier between October 11, 2012 and January 22, 2013.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) cancelled the bunker supplier and bunker craft operator licenses that were issued to Coteam Petroleum Trading Pte Ltd with effect from April 1, 2014 as they contravened the terms and conditions of the bunkering licenses, GAC reported. Coteam Petroleum was found to have breached Clause 3 of the terms and conditions of the Bunkering License (Bunker Supplier) by allowing other companies to use their Bunker Delivery Notes to supply bunkers. They were also found to have breached Clause 31 of the terms and conditions of the Bunkering License (Bunker Craft Operator) for delivering bunkers on behalf of an unlicensed company to customers of that company.