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BunkerMAESTRO to remove ‘biggest pain point’ of bunker operators

Claritecs spokesman explains why the solution for an ‘extremely disjointed’ sector lies in its scheduling sheet.

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A digital solution developed by Singapore-based maritime solutions firm Claritecs is well on its way to remove the ‘biggest pain point’ of bunker tanker operators and more, says its Co-founder and Chief Product Officer.

Russell Gomes was presenting at the 9th Biennial Bunkering in Asia conference on Wednesday (4 September) when he shared how the tech company became convinced the solution for an “extremely disjointed” sector lies in digitisation of its scheduling sheet.

“Every bunker delivery involves many different stakeholders and parties. You've got the operators, suppliers, traders, terminals, creditors, ship agents and receiving vessels,” he told delegates.

“Each job requires a lot of communication between all the different parties before and after each delivery, and information flow is slow.

“When we analysed the problem, we found that all the essential information that needs to be shared between the various parties can be contained within the schedule.

“Secondly, it just so happens that when we speak to bunker operators, their biggest pain point is their scheduling!”

An industry survey conducted by Claritecs found bunker tanker operators coping with deliveries by either reorganising their bunkering schedule every 2-3 hours to ensure optimisation of fleet, or by simply planning big buffers around each delivery to ensure of no clashes and replanning sequences.

“What if we could make the planning for bunkering easier for everybody, and create a platform that synchronises the entire bunker supply chain and ecosystem, that can take all our customers to instant digitisation and digital transformation?” Gomes asks.

“We’re solving all these problems with our system BunkerMAESTRO, where to start-off, we’re focusing on the schedule, and we’ve built an auto-scheduling system for bunker operators.

“This solves the operators’ problem, and allows us to have a centralised system that has the schedules of the various barges, and all the associated information.

“That's what Claritecs is aiming to do. The end goal is ultimately to reduce work load and cut costs for operators, and increase the optimisation of the vessels, which means they can increase their turn rate per vessel, or use fewer vessels to handle the same number of jobs.”

To date, Claritecs has inked MOUs with bunker operators Sinanju Tankers Holdings, Sentek Marine & Trading, Global Energy Trading, United Maritime and New Maritime representing 33% of the total Singapore bunker tanker fleet to testbed BunkerMAESTRO.

It has also entered into LOIs with shipping firms CMA CGM, PCL, PanUnited, and Glory Ship Management for the similar activity.

“Now as we get the bunker operators on board, we will invite their customers and partners who are the suppliers, traders, agents or ship owners onto the platform as well,” he shares.

“The schedule contains all the operational information including pre-delivery and post-delivery information, and by having the schedule on one platform, all parties can monitor the status of the deliveries and view the information that is relevant to them.

“This information will be updated regularly by the operators and their crew, and will also contain third-party AIS information all in one place. And this will ultimately reduce the amount of inefficiencies described earlier.”

Moving forward, Gomes reveals Claritecs to be in discussions on piloting a scheduling system for an unnamed oil terminal in Singapore to allow for reduced waiting time and increase transparency for loading operations with bunker tankers.

The company also intends to increase participation of its BunkerMAESTRO test bedding program from the current 33% to 50% of the Singapore bunker tanker fleet by end of the year.

“To wrap up, we have identified that the schedule is the heart of operations, and digitising the schedule and transforming the scheduling process has helped us to take a step towards digitising the entire bunkering process and operations,” he concludes.

Related: SMW 2019: Claritecs receives S$50,000 in seed funding from MPA
Related: SMW 2019: 7th biennial Sea Asia 2019 maritime exhibition wraps up
Related: SMW 2019: 30% of Singapore bunker tanker fleet enter MOU with Claritecs
Related: Claritecs BunkerMAESTRO system in top three of PIER71 Smart Port Challenge
Related: Claritecs showcases bunker and shipping IT solutions in debut at SIBCON

Photo credit: Manifold Times
Published: 5 September, 2019

 

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Winding up

Singapore: High Court to hear Norvic Shipping Asia winding up application on 31 July

Application for the winding up of Norvic Shipping Asia Pte Ltd was filed by Netherlands-registered Mur Shipping BV on 8 April, according to Government Gazette notice.

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An application for the winding up of Norvic Shipping Asia Pte Ltd was filed by Netherlands-registered Mur Shipping BV on 8 April, according to a Tuesday (21 July) notice on the Government Gazette.

It noted the winding up application is directed to be heard before the Judge sitting in the General Division of the High Court at 10am on 31 July.

Any creditor or contributory of the company desiring to support or oppose the making of an order on the winding up application may appear at the time of hearing by himself or his counsel for that purpose.

A copy of the winding up application will be furnished to any creditor or contributory of the company requiring the copy of the winding up application by the solicitors of the applicant’s, Oon & Bazul LLC, on payment of the regulated charge for the same.

The Applicant’s address is Hiridostraat 5, Gebouw Prismatrium, 1101CW Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

The Applicant’s solicitors are Oon & Bazul LLC of 103 Penang Rd, #04-04/05/06 Singapore 238467. 

Queries on the winding up application may be directed to the following email addresses: [email protected] and [email protected].

 

Photo credit: Manifold Times
Published: 22 July, 2026

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Methanol

World Fuel and partners complete first green methanol bunkering of car carrier in Shanghai

Operation involved the delivery of approximately 2,800 MT of green methanol to “Arctic Tern” via a ship-to-ship transfer using SIPG Energy’s dedicated methanol bunkering vessel “M/V Hai Gang Zhi Yuan”.

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World Fuel and partners complete first green methanol bunkering of car carrier in Shanghai

Marine fuel provider World Fuel on Tuesday (21 July) said it successfully completed the first green methanol bunkering of M/V Arctic Tern, with EUKOR Car Carriers and SIPG Energy at the Port of Shanghai. 

Arctic Tern is the first vessel in the new Shaper Class series of car carriers. 

The operation involved the delivery of approximately 2,800 MT of green methanol to Arctic Tern via a ship-to-ship transfer using SIPG Energy’s dedicated methanol bunkering vessel M/V Hai Gang Zhi Yuan, the largest vessel of its kind in operation. 

The bunkering operation was carried out at Haitong Terminal, Waigaoqiao Port Area, Shanghai Port, with cargo handling operations conducted simultaneously during bunkering.

This marks EUKOR Car Carriers’ first green methanol operation and the first time Arctic Tern has bunkered methanol since its delivery on 9 July. The operation marked the first bunkering at Shanghai Port of green methanol produced locally in Shanghai for an international PCTC operator. 

It also demonstrated the city’s integrated green methanol value chain, spanning local production, storage and bunkering, and established a replicable “Shanghai Model” for green methanol supply.

World Fuel arranged the supply and delivery of the fuel on behalf of EUKOR Car Carriers, working with SIPG Energy as the physical supplier at the Port of Shanghai.

The green methanol supplied was produced from municipal solid waste, ISCC-EU certified, and had a carbon intensity value below 25 gCO₂e/MJ.

Arctic Tern is the first of fourteen Shaper Class vessels ordered by Wallenius Wilhelmsen. With a capacity of 9,300 car equivalent units and methanol dual-fuel capability, the vessel will be operated by EUKOR Car Carriers, jointly owned by Wallenius Wilhelmsen and Hyundai Motor Group. Following her first green methanol bunkering, Arctic Tern will continue her maiden voyage from Asia to Europe.

Xavier Leroi, COO Shipping Services at Wallenius Wilhelmsen and CEO of EUKOR Car Carriers, said: “Completing Arctic Tern’s first green methanol bunkering shortly after delivery is a significant milestone towards our decarbonisation ambition for both EUKOR Car Carriers and Wallenius Wilhelmsen. It demonstrates how investments in next-generation vessel technology and fuel flexibility are being translated into real-world operations. 

“This achievement reflects the strong collaboration between all parties involved. Together, we have shown how partnerships across the maritime value chain can help make lower-emission fuels available and operationally viable at scale.”

Mark Tamsitt, SVP Global Marine Sales at World Fuel, said, “The first bunkering event with a new fuel is a significant moment for any shipowner, and our role is to make it as seamless as possible. By connecting EUKOR Car Carriers with SIPG Energy’s proven green methanol capability at the Port of Shanghai, we were able to deliver on reliable supply, fuel quality, and safe processes. As more of our customers bring methanol dual-fuel tonnage into service, we are committed to being the partner that makes these kinds of operations routine.”

Mr. Zhang Da, General Manager of SIPG Energy, said, “Welcoming Arctic Tern to the Port of Shanghai for her first green methanol bunkering demonstrates the strength and maturity of our supply capability. Building on our well-established methanol ship-to-ship bunkering services for container vessels, we have already extended such services to pure car and truck carriers (PCTCs). This bunkering sets a new record for the largest single SIMOPs green methanol bunkering for PCTCs in China, marking another step in building Shanghai’s position as a global green energy hub for international shipping.”

This operation follows Wallenius Wilhelmsen’s announcement on 9 July that Arctic Tern would complete her first methanol bunkering shortly after delivery. The vessel entered service on routes between Asia and Europe immediately following handover from China Merchants Jinling Shipyard in Nanjing.

 

Photo credit: World Fuel
Published: 22 July, 2026

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Ammonia

HPA and MB Energy develop safety concept for STS ammonia bunkering

HPA says the Port of Hamburg will become “bunker ready” for ammonia, laying the groundwork for safe and reliable ammonia bunkering in the future.

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HPA and MB Energy develop safety concept for STS ammonia bunkering

The Hamburg Port Authority (HPA) and integrated energy company MB Energy on Tuesday (21 July) said they have completed a comprehensive risk analysis and developed a dedicated safety concept for ship-to-ship ammonia bunkering.

MB Energy said the analysis lays the groundwork for the safe introduction of ammonia as a future marine fuel.

“With our planned ammonia import terminal in Hamburg-Blumensand, MB Energy intends to provide the reliable land side supply infrastructure needed to support this transition across northern German ports,” it said in a social media post. 

Mabanaft Group was renamed to MB Energy last year and merged over 50 existing brands under one identity. 

Separately, HPA said the Port of Hamburg will become “bunker ready” for ammonia, laying the groundwork for safe and reliable ammonia bunkering in the future.

“The focus is in particular on container ships, cruise ships as well as RoRo and ConRo (Container/RoRo) ships,” it said. 

“We expect ammonia to establish itself as an alternative marine marine fuel in the coming years. With our preparatory work, we are already creating the conditions to welcome the first ammonia-powered ships in Hamburg and to bunker them safely.:

HPA added that the import terminal for ammonia planned by MB Energy from 2029 will make a decisive contribution to ensuring the reliable availability of ammonia as a bunker fuel in northern German ports in the long term. 

“The use of an ammonia bunker barge is considered a possible addition to the landside infrastructure to enable ship bunkering in the port and beyond in the future,” it said.

Related: Mabanaft Group renames as MB Energy, merging over 50 brands under one identity

 

Photo credit: Hamburg Port Authority
Published: 22 July, 2026

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