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BIMCO: Sierra Leone implements IMO2020; to issue penalties for non-compliant fuel

From 1 September 2021, an IMO 2020 service charge will be implemented even for ships with an exhaust gas cleaning system (scrubber) installed.

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The Sierra Leone Ports Authority has issued a statement on its intention to implement IMO 2020 regulations at its ports, according to BIMCO. The shipping organisation on Thursday (12 August) published a news update on the development:

Enforcement, compliance and monitoring of the IMO 2020 Sulphur limit fall under Regulations to Annex VI of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL). It states that nations that have ratified MARPOL and acceded to Annex VI are obliged to give effect to and enforce the provisions of the regulation.

Port states must therefore enforce the provisions of MARPOL by monitoring vessels within their territorial waters and reporting non-compliance to the relevant flag state. This reporting ensures that adequate amounts of compliant low-sulphur fuel are available within their jurisdiction and provides shore-based facilities for the receipt and removal of scrubber waste.

Against this background, the Sierra Leone Ports Authority, in consultation with the Ministry of Transport and Aviation, consented to implement this important international member state mandate in July 2021.

It is also important to note that Sierra Leone is 18 months behind the global mandate to implement the IMO 2020 statutory instrument. In view of the above, the Sierra Leone Ports Authority will serve as the consulting government agency to implement IMO 2020. Furthermore, the Port Authority will undertake a joint implementation of the regulation, together with a competent institution for efficiency and standardisation.

The Port of Freetown in Sierra Leone will extend a grace period spanning from 15 July 2021 to 31 August 2021 for vessels that are non-compliant. Penalties will not be instituted against defaulting or non-compliant vessels on or before 31 August 2021. However, a non-compliance report together with a warning letter will be issued to non-compliant vessels for corrective action to be taken prior their next call at the port and within this grace period as stipulated above.

The Port Authority will take appropriate measures to ensure compliance by initial inspections based on documents and other methods, including remote sensing and portable devices. If there are clear grounds to conduct a more detailed inspection, sample analyses and other detailed inspections may be undertaken. The samples to be analysed may be the representative samples provided with the Bunker Delivery Note.

From 1 September 2021, ship owners and operators risk penalties of up to USD15,000 should they continue to carry fuel with a sulphur content exceeding 0.5 percent. The IMO 2020 service charge will be implemented even for ships with an exhaust gas cleaning system (scrubber) installed. It is also important to note that tariffs and fines are subject to periodic reviews based on prevailing circumstances.

The IMO Implementation tariff is as follows:

 Total Bunker on board (MT)  Tonnage Cost per Metric Tonne (MT) in USD
 001 – 300  15
 301 – 500  14
 501 – 750  13
 751 – 1000  12
 1001 – above  11

 

For further information, please refer to the official letter from the Sierra Leone Ports Authority attached.

Ships or members experiencing problems related to enforcement of MARPOL Annex V or unavailability of compliant fuel are encouraged to inform BIMCO via email [email protected] with “IMO 2020” in the subject field.

 

Photo credit: Shaah Shahidh on Unsplash
Source: BIMCO
Published: 16 August, 2021

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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.

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RESIZED Sora Shimazaki on Pexels

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.

Related: Singapore: Hin Leong Founder OK Lim gets jail term slashed to 13.5 years

 

Photo credit: Sora Shimazaki
Published: 21 July, 2026

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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.

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RESIZED Drew Beamer

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.

Related: Singapore: Director declares Heng Tong Fuels & Shipping’s inability to continue business
Related: Heng Tong Fuels & Shipping in court over DBS Bank bunker tanker loan
Related: Singapore: Bunker tanker “Coastal Neptune” arrested
Related: Heng Tong Fuels & Shipping, Coastal Logistics tankers enter S&P market

 

Photo credit: Drew Beamer
Published: 21 July, 2026

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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.

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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

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