Business

The Lab’s fuel testing services secure UKAS accreditation

UKAS accreditation covers chemical and physical tests for petroleum and petroleum products (fuel oil), states Brookes Bell.

Published

4 years ago

May 26, 2022

Admin

The Lab, the independent laboratory facility opened by leading multi-disciplinary technical and scientific consultancy Brookes Bell, on Monday (23 May) successfully achieved UKAS accreditation for its range of fuel testing services.

Launched last year, The Lab houses a state-of-the-art fuel-testing facility, including GCMS (Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry), ICP (Inductively Coupled Plasma) and FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy), as well as advanced investigative laboratory equipment, such as a digital microscope equipment, SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) and portable analysis equipment such as LIBS (Laser Induced Spectroscopy) and PMI (Positive Material Identification).

The UKAS accreditation certifies that The Lab’s procedures are being conducted at a high level, in line with internationally recognized standards. It gives customers the clear assurance that their samples are handled with care as part of a robust quality system and that the results are reliable and can be trusted. It also confirms that The Lab services are independent, the services and quality procedures are transparent and the team acts with impartiality and integrity.

Matthew Calveley, Laboratory Manager said: “We have been accredited against the ISO 17025 standard which is specifically for testing and calibration laboratories, endorsing our technical competence as an independent laboratory service.

“Since we opened last year, demand for our fuel testing services has continued to grow. Our specialist fuel chemists are busy helping to investigate fuel specification issues and providing reliable and detailed data to assist in a range of fuel related claims – all of which is now officially certified to the industry standard of ISO 8217.

“Thanks to the UKAS accreditations, our new clients can be assured that our services are independent and are fully compliant with the international regulatory standards.”

Ken Kirby, Director of Metallurgy, Inspection and NDT adds: “Since its establishment The Lab has prioritized quality, innovation and dedication to exceptional customer service in all its investigations. In just one year, The Lab has enabled us to develop many new and innovative forensic and investigative services and I congratulate the laboratory team for all their hard work in securing the UKAS accreditation.”

Alongside fuel testing, The Lab is equipped with the latest analytical tools for forensic metallurgical investigations. The Lab’s metallurgists can determine how a component or structure should react in any given environment or under certain mechanical loads, using that expertise to examine corrosion or investigate a whole range of component failures.

Meanwhile, the Lab’s advanced NDT team specialise in electromagnetic testing and ultrasonic testing techniques for a variety of critical structures and components, revealing the condition of metal structures through composite decks, thick lagging and coatings and examining welding for harmful defects.

The Lab will continue to work to secure higher accreditations and further industry-leading standards to demonstrate its commitment to operational excellence.

The Lab’s fuel testing services secure UKAS accreditation

Photo credit: Brookes Bell
Published: 26 May, 2022

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

16 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

16 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

16 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