Business

IMO 2020 and beyond: Guidelines for fuel oil sampling and designated sampling points

Standard Club previously published an article based on the outcome of the 74th session of IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC-74).

Published

5 years ago

July 27, 2021

Admin

The Standard Club in late June published an article on the ‘sampling of fuel oil used on board (PSC enforcement criteria)’. This article was published based on the outcome of the 74th session of IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC-74). Its details are as follows:

During the MEPC-75 meeting, that was held in November-2020, new amendments to MARPOL Annex VI were adopted through Resolution MEPC.324(75). These amendments will enter into force on 1 April 2022. It introduces new requirements for fuel oil sampling points and outline methods for sampling fuel oil to validate its sulphur content.

Fuel oil samples

Essentially, there are three types of fuel oil samples as defined in the IMO guidelines:

sample of the fuel delivered to the ship during the bunker operation, i.e. ‘MARPOL delivered sample’ (MEPC.182(59))
sample of the fuel oil in use on a ship, i.e. ‘in-use sample’ (MEPC.1/Circ.864/Rev.1)
sample of the fuel oil intended to be used or carried in tanks for use, i.e. ‘onboard sample’ (MEPC.1/Circ.889)

In addition to the above-mentioned statutory samples, members may wish to collect ‘commercial samples’ during the bunker operation to verify the physical and chemical properties in accordance with ISO 8217. These samples are generally drawn on voluntary basis, by the sampling equipment positioned at the bunker manifold of the receiving ship.

Designating sampling points

In order to facilitate the need for taking ‘in-use samples’, ships constructed before 1 April 2022 are required to designate or, if necessary, fit sampling points no later than the first IAPP renewal survey on or after 1 April 2023. For ships built on or after 1 April 2022, sampling points needs to be in place and designated upon delivery.

These requirements are not applicable to a fuel oil service system for a low-flashpoint fuel, i.e. having a flashpoint less than 60oC.

Club’s guidance

Members are recommended to review their fuel oil sampling procedures to ensure that samples can be drawn safely from the ship’s fuel service system in compliance with these guidelines. It is imperative that the ship’s crew are aware of the above-mentioned requirements and familiarised with the ship-specific system.

Additionally, members are also reminded that until the amendments come into force, IMO has issued a circular (MEPC.1/Circ.882) requesting its member States to apply the amendments related to the verification procedure for a MARPOL Annex VI fuel oil sample (regulation 18.8.2 or regulation 14.8) in advance of their entry into force. As such, the Port State Control (PSC) inspectors may draw samples during this interim period.

If so, the sample should be collected in a suitable container and should be representative of the fuel oil being used or intended to be used. The sample bottles should be sealed by the inspector with a unique means of identification installed in the presence of the ship’s representative. The label should include the following information:

sampling point location where the sample was drawn;
bunker delivery note (BDN) details of the fuel oil sampled, as per information required by appendix V of MARPOL Annex VI;
date and port of sampling;
name and IMO number of the ship;
details of seal identification; and
signatures and names of the inspector and the ship’s representative.

It is recommended that the ship should retain a duplicate sample and maintain appropriate record in the sample log.

Club’s cover

Members are reminded that club cover for fines arising from breaches of low-sulphur fuel regulations and other MARPOL violations is strictly discretionary. The board is entitled to take into consideration the zero-tolerance attitude towards reimbursement of liabilities and fines for environmental offences, save in the most exceptional circumstances.

Key Contacts
Akshat Arora
Senior Surveyor
+65 6506 2809
[email protected]

Photo credit: Kinsey on Unsplash
Source: Standard Club
Published: 27 July, 2021

Legal

Singapore withdraws remaining 127 charges against Hin Leong founder OK Lim

Lim Oon Kuin, also known as OK Lim, was issued a stern warning and a district court granted him a discharge amounting to an acquittal for these charges on 17 July.

Published

5 hours ago

July 21, 2026

Admin

Founder of collapsed oil trader Hin Leong Trading, Lim Oon Kuin, also known as OK Lim, has had the remaining 127 charges against him withdrawn, according to The Straits Times on Monday (20 July).

OK Lim was issued a stern warning and a district court granted him a discharge amounting to an acquittal for these charges, including those for cheating, on 17 July. The discharge means Lim cannot be prosecuted again for the same offences.

Lim, 84, is currently serving a 13½-year prison sentence after the High Court reduced his original 17½-year jail term in March 2026. He was convicted in 2024 on two cheating charges and one count of abetting forgery in a case prosecutors described as one of Singapore’s most serious trade finance frauds.

Lim was convicted in May 2024 of two charges of cheating the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) and one count of abetting forgery that proceeded to trial out of a total of 130 criminal charges.

He was first charged in court on 14 August 2020, and was subsequently handed further charges in court on 25 September 2020, 30 April 2021 and 24 June 2021 for his role in perpetuating fraud on various financial institutions.

A total of 130 charges were eventually brought against him for cheating and forgery-related offences.

Photo credit: Sora Shimazaki
Published: 21 July, 2026

Winding up

Singapore: Coastal Logistics Pte Ltd to be wound up voluntarily

Coastal Logistics was reportedly affiliated with troubled Singapore bunker player Coastal Oil (Singapore) Pte Ltd.

Published

5 hours ago

July 21, 2026

Admin

Several resolutions for Coastal Logistics Pte Ltd were made during an extraordinary general meeting held on 14 July, according to a notice in the Government Gazette on Friday (4 July).

The following resolutions were duly passed during the meeting:

As Special Resolution

That it has been proved to the satisfaction of the meeting that the Company cannot by reason of its liabilities continue its business and accordingly the Company be wound up voluntarily pursuant to Section 160(1)(b) of the Insolvency, Restructuring and Dissolution Act 2018 (No. 40 of 2018);

As Ordinary Resolutions

that Mr. Wong Pheng Cheong Martin and Ms. Koay May Yee, both care of FTI Consulting (Singapore) Pte Ltd, One Raffles Quay, #27-10 South Tower, Singapore 048583 be appointed as the joint and several Liquidators of the Company for the purpose of such winding up; and
that the Liquidators be at liberty to open, maintain and operate any bank account(s) or account(s) for monies received by them as Liquidators with such bank(s) as they deem fit; and
that a Committee of Inspection will not be formed.

Manifold Times previously reported Nicholas James Gronow, director of Heng Tong Fuels & Shipping and Coastal Logistics, filed statutory declarations for both companies stating the firms cannot continue their businesses due to liabilities.

Both companies were reportedly affiliated with troubled Singapore bunker player Coastal Oil (Singapore) Pte Ltd.

In 2019, several vessels owned by both firms entered the sale & purchase (S&P) market in Singapore.

Photo credit: Drew Beamer
Published: 21 July, 2026

LNG Bunkering

PIL’s LNG dual-fuel boxship “Kota Elok” arrives in Singapore on maiden call

As the first of 13 new 13,000 TEU vessels joining its fleet, Kota Elok is equipped to operate on LNG and low-sulphur fuel oil that helps reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

Published

5 hours ago

July 21, 2026

Admin

PIL's LNG dual-fuel boxship “Kota Elok” arrives in Singapore on maiden call

Singapore-based Pacific International Lines Pte Ltd on Monday (20 July) said its first 13,000 TEU LNG dual-fuel container vessel, Kota Elok, recently made her maiden call to Singapore on 15 July.

As the first of 13 new 13,000 TEU vessels joining its fleet, Kota Elok is equipped to operate on liquefied natural gas (LNG) and low-sulphur fuel oil that helps reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

The vessel also incorporated energy-saving features and digital technologies to reduce fuel consumption and enhance operational performance, as well as a bow windshield to improve aerodynamics, contributing to improved fuel efficiency and lower emissions over the course of long-haul voyages.

“Following Singapore, Kota Elok will continue her voyage on our East Coast Service 1 (ES1) route to South America, calling at ports in Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina before returning to Asia,” the company said in a social media post.

Kota Elok also became PIL’s first vessel to receive Lloyd’s Register certification for compliance with the IACS UR E26 and UR E27 cyber security requirements.

Developed by the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS), UR E26 and UR E27 are mandatory cyber resilience requirements for newbuild vessels contracted from 1 July 2024.

Photo credit: Pacific International Lines
Published: 21 July, 2026