The below is an industry alert from Lloyd’s Register Fuel Oil Bunkering Analysis and Advisory Service (FOBAS) published on 6 April:
In the last week, FOBAS has tested a number of samples from Singapore, which were ordered as ISO-F-RMG380 grade however tested flash points were below the 60°C SOLAS minimum limit. Tested results range from 35 to 47 °C. Due to the results well below the SOLAS limit, there can be real safety concerns.
As a first step for any vessel having bunkered fuel with a low flash point, it is recommend that vessel should contact ship?s flag State, insurance underwriters and classification society immediately for further advice. Secondly, best practice safety guidelines should be followed to reduce the potential risk due to low flash point fuel.
If your ships are planning to bunker at this port we recommend that suppliers are advised of your concerns regarding the flash point of the fuel and that they provide you with additional reassurance that they will meet the ISO 8217 requirements for the grade ordered.
Additional attention should be given to the collection of bunker samples. It should be ensured that all parties have witnessed the sampling process and have signed witness forms accordingly, and that the supporting documentation includes records of all the samples considered representative of the fuel as loaded.
Published: 11 April, 2018
Subsidiary Lanka Marine Services saw increased market share and profits, says Chairman of the group.
Several samples representing VLSFO deliveries in Singapore and Malaysia with flashpoint as low as 56°C from 14 August to 21 August.
Ships bunkered with low flash point fuels are recommended to seek further advice from the respective classification society, flag state, and insurance underwriters.
Supply of HSFO380 is tight in Singapore, Fujairah, Zhoushan and parts of the Mediterranean, while VLSFO and LSMGO grades are ample across most global bunkering hubs.
‘Excessive liner wear while using the new VLSFO fuels’ analysed 12 cases of abnormal engine cylinder liner wear out of over 20,000 tested VLSFO bunker samples.
Singapore’s bonded fuel supply was 15.05 million mt, a 11.89% year-on year decrease due to doubts on quality of local high sulphur fuel, says a China consultancy.
Firm hopes to leverage partnership in Greece as a springboard to expand into neighbouring and overseas markets including Europe and China, says Robin Van Elderen, Regional Head Bunkers, Europe, Sing Fuels.
Singapore can help less developed countries in SouthEast Asia through ‘piloting and scaling fuels and technology as well as a leading hub for green finance’, said DNV Group President and CEO Remi Eriksen.
Octamar™ Ultra HF, Octamar™ Complete, and Octamar™ F35C were found to have improved the fuel economy while reducing exhaust gas and other emissions of marine engines in a series of trials, states report.
Disposal of evidence has resulted in Singapore not being able to provide full details to the United Nationals Panel of Experts which sought information regarding the case, says Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
‘We are proud to be amongst the first to show the successful steps taken by Singapore’s bunkering ecosystem to remain forward thinking and relevant,’ Choong Sheen Mao, Director of EMF, tells Manifold Times.
‘With the launch of a common data infrastructure, Kenoil aims to continue achieving an end to end visibility and transparency on the bunker data supply chain,’ states Kenoil Managing Director.
