Mass Flowmeter
China: Bunker suppliers ink convention and cooperation deal at MFM Alliance Conference
China Marine Bunker (Petro China), Sinopec Fuel Oil Sales, PetroChina Fuel Oil, China Shipping & Sinopec Suppliers and China Changjiang Bunker (Sinopec) were among those who signed the convention.
The Marine Fuel Industry Committee of the China Petroleum Circulation Association (CPCA) on Friday (12 January) said bunker suppliers signed the “Alliance Convention on the Promotion and Use of Mass Flow Meters (MFMs) in China’s Marine Fuel Supply Industry” and the “Cooperation Declaration on the Promotion and Use of Mass Flow Meters in China’s Marine Fuel Supply Industry”.
Marine fuel suppliers signed the convention at the MFM Alliance Conference to voluntarily commit to comply with relevant requirements: China Marine Bunker (Petro China) Co Ltd, Sinopec Fuel Oil Sales Co Ltd, PetroChina Fuel Oil Co Ltd, China Shipping & Sinopec Suppliers Co Ltd, China Changjiang Bunker (Sinopec) Co Ltd and Tangshan Zhonghai Shipping Fuel Co Ltd.
Jiang Yongzhuo, deputy chief economist of Sinopec Fuel Oil Sales Co., Ltd., read out the alliance convention on the spot.
The signing, where Manifold Times was present, marked the formal establishment of the China Marine Fuel Supply Industry Mass Flow Meter Alliance to promote and encourage widespread application and use of MFMs in bunkering operations, ensure accuracy of bunker fuel measurements and to improve standards of marine fuel supply enterprises.
The key players involved include bunker suppliers, shipping companies, industry associations, research institutes and mass flow meter (MFM) calibration.
Di Jiankai, honorary president of the CPCA, said in his opening speech of the conference that the Marine Fuel Industry Committee was the most prominent among the association’s branches.
He said its influence in the industry continues to increase and has grown its good credibility and reputation.
With the marine fuel supply industry being the top priority in supporting shipping functions, Di Jiankai said the Marine Fuel Industry Committee must play a good role as a bridge, strengthen service awareness, innovate service content, improve service quality, and continuously consolidate the stable and positive development foundation of my country’s marine fuel supply market.
“The establishment of the Mass Flow Meter Alliance is a key milestone for the association to assist industry authorities in preventing and defusing risks in key areas and promoting the sustainable and healthy development of my country’s marine fuel supply industry,” he said.
Li Huadong, former deputy inspector of the Port Supervision Department of the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China, stressed the importance of regulating the ship fuel supply market.
He pointed out that the data from the mass flow meter can be viewed at any time on the system display interface and remotely transmitted to the customs department.
“The comprehensive use of mass flow meters in the field of ship fuel supply will help improve the digitalisation of the industry. It will also facilitate customs to conduct big data smart supervision, carry out system innovation, and improve supervision efficiency. It is hoped that all parties will take this opportunity to reach consensus and form synergy, comprehensively promote modernisation, and contribute to the development of the marine fuel supply industry.
Wang Min, Director of the Purchasing Center of CHN Energy Shipping Co Ltd, and Cai Keguang, Vice President of Antong Holdings Co Ltd and General Manager of the Ship Management Center, spoke as representatives of shipping companies and agreed that promoting the use of mass flow meters is the key to solving the quality problem of fuel fillers.
Both said fuel cost is the most important variable cost for shipping companies, but in the process of supplying and receiving fuel, there are issues such as standards to screen bunker suppliers, quantity determination, and dispute resolution, which have troubled shipowners for a long time and crews are tired of dealing with them.
With the support of the association, the bunkering industry has carried out a mass flow meter trial. In the past six months, the results showed improved measurement accuracy, improving efficiency of bunkering operation, and reduced quantity disputes.
“The relevant technology is mature enough, and the popularisation of MFMs in the field of ship oil supply is a top priority for the industry. We also thank the Marine Fuel Industry Committee for its hard work in regulating the domestic marine refueling market environment, ensuring service quantity and quality, and promoting the healthy development of marine fuel supply-related industries.”
“We hope that the association will continue to comply with industry demands, strengthen industry leadership, and establish a mass flow meter system, standardise and guide all aspects of certification, installation, and verification, and issue a ‘white list’ of bunker fuel suppliers and bunker vessels as soon as possible to promote the continuous improvement of industry service levels,” they added.
Zhao Zhonghui, an analyst at Michael (Zhoushan) Technical Services Co., Ltd., spoke on Singapore’s experience in using MFMs. She emphasised that the key to Singapore’s success is due the establishment of a unified management framework and standards, on-site verification of each MFMs by a third party approved by an authoritative organisation and the need for an authoritative organisation to take the lead and be able to verify the MFMs.
Endress+Hauser China Large Project and Solution Manager Xu Zhanfeng also shared the basic principles and applications of MFMs and shared their advanced technical performance and characteristics.
Related: China: CPCA releases convention for bunkering industry to promote mass flow meter at conference
Related: China: Bunker suppliers among stakeholders convening for upcoming mass flow meter conference
Photo credit: China Petroleum Circulation Association
Published: 16 January, 2024
Technology
Endress+Hauser and Bunkerchain prepared for end-to-end digital transactions of e-BDN integration ops in 2025
Entities showcased their complete solution to delegates during the 23rd Singapore International Bunkering Conference and Exhibition.
Swiss-based mass flowmeter (MFM) manufacturer Endress+Hauser and digital bunkering solutions provider Bunkerchain is preparing their systems in advance for seamless digital bunkering transactions of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA)’s pioneering electronic bunker delivery note (e-BDN) project, learned Manifold Times.
During the 23rd Singapore International Bunkering Conference and Exhibition (SIBCON 2024), spokesmen from Endress+Hauser and Bunkerchain explained to delegates how their systems work in unison to prepare for the upgrade.
“At SIBCON 2024, we showed our digital bunkering solution together with Bunkerchain, one of our partners for e-BDN,” said Mohamed Abdenbi, Global Business Manager Solutions, Endress+Hauser.
“As soon as a bunker operation is completed, our MFM system automatically transmits ticket data to the bunker app of Bunkerchain for e-BDN documentation.
“With this set up we are ready to support end-to-end digital transactions of e-BDN in Singapore.”
According to Mr Abdenbi, full digitalisation of e-BDN implementation at Singapore port will further significantly increase the efficiency to the republic’s bunker industry due to automation and the likelihood of wrong data filled into bunker checklists being reduced to a minimum.
“Data can be easily shared between the different parties to make daily workflows more efficient. This will have a positive effect on productivity of the bunker industry,” he explained.
“We can confirm this when looking at our own Endress+Hauser paperless production processes and the response of our customers who make use of our Netilion* cloud offering.
“Inconsistent data along the different system components would raise questions and doubts.
“Therefore, we believe it is of great importances the MFM vendor offers a complete and interoperable system for data transmission to ensure necessary integrity of data to make life easy for MFM users and authorities by having a central contact.”
Leon Ling, CEO of Bunkerchain, echoed Mr Abdenbi’s thoughts.
“At SIBCON 2024, Bunkerchain showcased direct connectivity between Endress+Hauser’s MFM system and our e-BDN solution,” he shared.
“This setup enabled seamless data transfer from the MFM to our e-BDN system onboard vessels, even without internet connectivity. This innovation ensures critical bunker data is securely captured and processed in real-time, paving the way for full digitalisation of e-BDN implementation at Singapore port in 2025.”
Use of MFMs, combined with solutions such as e-BDN, streamline workflows by automating data capture to reduce manual errors for secured real-time data sharing among stakeholders, he noted.
These advancements enhance operational accuracy, improve compliance, and establish a robust framework for efficient and sustainable bunker operations.
Global Energy Trading Pte Ltd (GET), the trading arm of Singapore bunker supplier Global Energy Group, earlier announced the successful implementation of Bunkerchain’s e-BDN system.
During Singapore Maritime Week 2024, Bunkerchain signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with S&P Global Market Intelligence and MPA to pilot the use of digital ship identity in the republic.
*Netilion is a cloud-based IIoT ecosystem designed by Endress+Hauser for industrial processes. It connects the physical and digital worlds to send information from the field straight to the user’s phone, tablet or other device.
Related: Global Energy Trading selects Bunkerchain e-BDN solution in Singapore
Related: SMW 2024: MPA partners with S&P Global and Bunkerchain in digital ship identity
Photo credit: Endress+Hauser
Published: 13 May, 2025
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