Business

BIMCO adopts FuelEU Maritime and ETS clauses for sale and purchase of ships

FuelEU Maritime Regulation and EU ETS impact the sale and purchase of ships and the clauses have been developed to help provide certainty for both parties during the process.

Published

10 months ago

December 12, 2025

Admin

International shipping association BIMCO on Thursday (11 December) said its Documentary Committee has adopted a FuelEU Maritime Clause and an ETS Clause for incorporation into Memoranda of Agreements (MoAs) for the sale and purchase of ships.

The FuelEU Maritime Regulation and the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) impact the sale and purchase of ships, and the clauses have been developed to help provide certainty for both parties during the process.

“Regulations such as the FuelEU Maritime and EU ETS are complex and reshape our industry. Therefore, contractual clarity is essential. The new clauses offer parties the tools they need to manage compliance obligations and avoid uncertainty during ship transactions,” said Stinne Taiger Ivø, Deputy Secretary General and Director of Contracts at BIMCO.

Both clauses are developed to clearly define responsibilities, costs and data-sharing obligations under the current regulatory frameworks, and the ETS clause can also be used for similar emission trading schemes that may come into force in the future.

The FuelEU Maritime Clause for MoAs 2025 sets out the seller’s responsibilities to ensure compliance at the time of delivery of the ship. The clause includes provisions on disclosure of verified compliance balances for previous reporting periods and provides for a partial FuelEU report after delivery.

It also includes mechanisms for price adjustments, based on positive or negative compliance balances, restrictions on borrowing advance compliance balance before delivery and obligations for buyers to supply post-delivery data as needed.

At delivery, buyers assume full responsibility for FuelEU compliance, including rights related to banking, borrowing, and pooling compliance balances.

The ETS Clause for MoAs 2025 provides a framework for allocating responsibilities related to greenhouse gas emission allowances during ship sale and purchase transactions. Sellers must comply with all reporting requirements for the period up to delivery, submit a verified partial emission report following delivery and surrender emission allowances for emissions incurred before transfer of ownership.

Buyers assume responsibility for emission allowances from the time of delivery onward. The clause also includes an indemnity provision to protect buyers against claims or liabilities arising from the sellers’ non-compliance prior to delivery to ensure clarity and fairness.

“With this latest addition, BIMCO is expanding its portfolio of carbon clauses to support the industry through regulatory change. Like the clauses already in the portfolio, the new clauses are practical, consensus-driven solutions which have been developed using input from a broad range of stakeholders to ensure that they work in practice,” said Nicholas Fell, Chair of BIMCO’s Documentary Committee.

Photo credit: BIMCO
Published: 12 December, 2025

Related Topics:Business - Events EU ETS FuelEU Port & Regulatory - Decarbonisation

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Shell Singapore charged over Pulau Bukom oil leaks, reporting delays

Shell faces four charges under Singapore’s Prevention of Pollution of the Sea Act over two 2024 oil discharge incidents at its Pulau Bukom facility.

Published

9 hours ago

September 25, 2026

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2 MPA craft (left) supporting Shell craft in the clean up operations of the oil sheens taken on 28 Dec 9am

Shell Singapore has been charged over two incidents in 2024 involving oily mixtures discharged into Singapore waters from its facilities at Pulau Bukom, according to media reports on Tuesday (22 September).

The company faces four charges under the Prevention of Pollution of the Sea Act, including allegations that it failed to report the discharges to the port master immediately.

The first incident occurred on 20 October 2024, when approximately 40 metric tonnes (mt) of oily mixture was discharged through a hole in a pipeline at the Shell Singapore Energy and Chemicals Park at about 8am.

Shell is accused of reporting the incident to the port master at about 12.55pm, several hours after the discharge occurred.

The second incident took place between 26 and 28 December 2024. An estimated 485kg to 956kg of oil mixture was discharged into Singapore waters from the same facility.

Shell is accused of failing to report the incident immediately, with notification to the port master made at about 11.50am on 26 December 2024, according to the charges.

Singapore’s pollution-prevention regulations require occupiers of such facilities to report oil or oily-mixture discharges into Singapore waters “without delay and to the fullest extent possible”.

Shell’s representative requested an eight-week adjournment at the 22 September hearing, citing the need to obtain internal instructions, appoint counsel and locate historical records. The company said the business associated with the incidents had been divested in 2025.

The case was adjourned to October. Shell is also facing prosecution by Singapore’s National Environment Agency over the same incidents.

Photo credit: Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore
Published: 25 September, 2026

Incident

MPA probes Singapore Strait collision involving fishing vessel, bulk carrier

MPA says there were no reported injuries among the crew of either vessel in the incident involving China-registered fishing vessel “Lu Qing Yuan Yu” and Panama-registered bulk carrier “First Margaux” .

Published

9 hours ago

September 25, 2026

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Panama-registered bulk carrier “First Margaux”

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) on Tuesday (22 September) said it is investigating the incident involving the China-registered fishing vessel Lu Qing Yuan Yu and the Panama-registered bulk carrier First Margaux in the Singapore Strait on 17 September.

MPA said there were no reported injuries among the crew of either vessel or pollution arising from the incident and navigational traffic was not affected.

Videos circulating on social media showed the bulk carrier colliding with the fishing vessel.

“The fishing vessel took on water during the incident but remained afloat and stable, with the crew taking measures to manage the situation onboard,” MPA said.

The vessel was subsequently towed to Raffles Reserved Anchorage for assessment.

Essential crew remained onboard to support the tow, while the Singapore Civil Defence Force supported the transfer of other crew to shore.

MPA added it also issued navigational safety broadcasts to keep other vessels clear of the tow and escorted the vessel into port with a MPA craft.

Photo credit: MarineTraffic / Arnold Pohen
Published: 25 September, 2026

Mass Flowmeter

TFG Marine deploys first MFM-equipped bunker barge in Jamaica

Bunker barge “Kingston Trader” is currently on its way to Jamaica following the successful installation of a Coriolis mass flow meter (MFM) system, certified to ISO 22192.

Published

9 hours ago

September 25, 2026

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TFG Marine deploys first MFM-equipped bunker barge in Jamaica

Global marine fuel supply and procurement firm TFG Marine on Thursday (24 September) said its bunker barge Kingston Trader is currently on its way to Jamaica following the successful installation of a Coriolis mass flow meter (MFM) system, certified to ISO 22192.

The company said the latest installation brings the proportion of TFG Marine’s fleet equipped with MFMs to approximately 88%, marking another step in the continued rollout of this technology across its global bunkering operations.

“The barge will operate in Jamaica through our local partnership with Scott Petroleum, becoming the first bunkering vessel in the region equipped with this technology and bringing greater accuracy, transparency and assurance to fuel measurement for customers across the Caribbean,” TFG Marine said in a social media post.

“Together with Scott Petroleum, we look forward to working collaboratively with the Maritime Authority of Jamaica, the The Port Authority of Jamaica, Petrojam Limited and other stakeholders to share our experience of MFM technology, explore its wider benefits and support the continued development of bunkering standards across the region.”

Manifold Times previously reported TFG Marine continuing to expand MFM technology across its US Gulf Coast bunker fleet with Buffalo B414 and Buffalo B304 being fitted with the equipment.

Last year, TFG Marine announced it reached a key milestone in its global digitalisation programme with the installation of an ISO 22192-compliant MFM on the Buffalo 404, a barge on time charter from American bunker barge company Buffalo Marine Service Inc.

The installation was part of TFG Marine’s wider strategy to equip close to 90% of its global bunkering fleet with MFMs by 2026 as a commitment towards improving data integrity, streamlining operations and strengthening trust in marine fuel transactions.

Photo credit: TFG Marine
Published: 25 September, 2026