Business

Argus Media: John W. Stone enters Texas offshore bunkering

The company employs its articulated barge at fairway anchorages and lightering zones; Gulf Carrier can carry 83,000 bl of fuel and has four pumps.

Published

6 years ago

October 21, 2020

Admin

Stefka Wechsler of the global energy and commodity price reporting agency Argus Media on Tuesday (20 October) published a summary of John W. Stone Oil Distributor’s decision to foray into the offshore Texas bunker market as well as how the company plans to ensure the quality of its services in the area:

Marine fuel supplier John W. Stone Oil Distributor has entered the offshore Texas bunker market by offering very low-sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) and marine gasoil (MGO).

The company employs its articulated tug/barge Gulf Venture/Gulf Carrier at fairway anchorages and lightering zones. The Jones Act-compliant barge, built in 2016, can carry just over 83,000 bl of fuel and has four pumps and oil heaters.

The company already supplies VLSFO, MGO and high-sulphur fuel oil throughout the Mississippi river and elsewhere along the US Gulf of Mexico and fully owns and operates 42 barges, the largest bunker barge fleet in the region.

The company saw a slowdown in vessel traffic on the back of the Covid-19 pandemic and related containment measures, and subsequently a drop in bunker demand at New Orleans, Louisiana.

There has been a slight uptick in demand recently, but it is the seasonal rise the company expected, chief operating officer Tony Odak told Argus. This demand increase has been more than offset by the addition of several new physical supply competitors to the market as well as the average bunker lots sizes decreasing because of shipowner credit issues, vessels changing the port of their call and compatibility of existing fuel onboard with newly arriving fuel.

There has been a rise in the use of re-refined lube oil as a blendstock for VLSFO by several other suppliers, which has gained traction in a cost-conscious environment. John W. Stone does not use it, Odak said.

The company is also testing an electronic declaration of inspection (DOI) document, metering and invoicing system. DOI is required by the US Coast Guard to be completed by the receiving vessels prior to fueling. The electronic system will allow the company to communicate directly with a vessel’s crew to sign a DOI, accept meter results and provide ship certification of products and or services delivered.

If a vessel is fueled by noon, an invoice with all the electronic documentation can be vetted and transmitted to the buyer the same day, the company said.

Photo credit and source: Argus Media
Published: 21 October, 2020

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

7 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

7 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

7 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