Business

FuelTrust: Early warning is the best protection against contaminated bunkers

Digital early warning system – combining AI and blockchain technologies – could have helped reduce risks in Singapore bunker contamination case, says Jonathan Arneault, CEO of FuelTrust.

Published

4 years ago

September 15, 2022

Admin

In an exclusive article shared with Manifold Times, Jonathan Arneault, CEO of FuelTrust, a startup company using blockchain and AI to trace the provenance of marine fuels, shares on how a digital early warning system can help protect against contaminated bunkers and warn buyers and suppliers of possible risks before the fuel is bunkered.

The Singapore contamination earlier this year affected hundreds of ships, caused millions of dollar in damages and – like the Houston fuel contamination in 2018 – will most likey result in legal actions for year to come.

The cause of this disruption has been attributed to a batch of high sulphur fuel oil, containing unacceptable concentration levels of chlorinated organic compounds. Unfortunately current ISO 8217 testing methods are not enough to have detected the contaminates in either the Singapore or Houston incidents.

Far reaching costs

Beyond the price of the fuel itself, widespread contamination comes at a big cost. Insurance claims for disruption to cargo delivery and damage to machinery alone could easily run to hundreds of millions of dollars. There are also the costs that shipowners and operators must bear for repairs, vessels out of operation while being fixed and potential penalties for failing to meet contractual agreements. Moreover, a single batch of bad fuel can cause long-term reputational damage to the fuel suppliers involved.

Ship operators are typically advised to avoid taking on contaminated bunkers by selecting suppliers carefully, performing additional tests on bunkers and checking the details of bunker supply contracts in case there is a time limit for giving notice of quality issues. This is good advice for helping to mitigate risks, but it is far from foolproof, and it does not take into account the commercial time pressures operators face.

Tracking and analysing the transactions that a batch of fuel goes through to reach the bunker terminal using digital technology can help protect against these major risks, and warn buyers and suppliers of possible risks before the fuel is bunkered. This digital early warning system can also fit in with the commercial timelines of vessel operators and fuel suppliers alike.

Shared data and insight

Access to the content, history and expected performance of bunker fuel prior to sale or bunkering, allows suppliers and shipowners to reduce their operational and financial risks. Suppliers, in particular, can spread these benefits across their customers. In Singapore, a GCMS (Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry) test would have revealed the presence of the organic chlorides causing the fuel contamination. A digital early warning system, combining AI and blockchain technologies, could have helped reduce the risks in this case, by providing a record of the GCMS lab analysis of the supplier storage fuel tanks.

Importantly, these digital technologies work together. Blockchain technology is used to establish a digital record of a batch of fuel throughout its lifecycle, and to allow suppliers to grant data access only to parties that need the information. Recording information using blockchain technology provides a single source of truth for the fuel lifecycle. AI technology is used to analyse the data held in the blockchain and to identify chemical risk, providing an early warning to ship owners and bunker suppliers based on these insights.

Recording data from the fuel lifecycle using blockchain-based technology provides data security through encryption and permissioned transparency, allowing suppliers to only share this information with their commercial partners – building transparency and trust, but not at the cost of competitiveness.

Digital technology also allows operators and suppliers to receive alerts when AI algorithms detect anomalies or non-compliant fuels before they are bunkered, saving suppliers and shipowners from reputational, operational and commercial damage. Using AI and blockchain technologies requires no hardware or manual resources, meaning these insights can be made available at very low cost – just a few pennies per barrel.

While the scope of the recent incidents in Singapore again brought attention to the persistent, global issue of fuel contamination, fuel quality problems cause debunkering issues every month in ports around the world – most of which never make the news. At FuelTrust, we have developed a digital solution that delivers trusted transparency for the bunker industry, and provides the early warning indicators to alleviate the types of fuel contamination issues that cost the sector hundreds of millions of dollars.

Photo credit: FuelTrust
Published: 15 September, 2022

Winding up

Singapore: Notice of intended dividend issued for Xihe Holdings’ subsidiaries

Creditors will need to produce proofs of debt to liquidators of Da Xin Tankers and Nan Chiau Maritime by 5 August, according to Government Gazette notice.

Published

7 hours ago

July 23, 2026

Admin

Two notices to declare the intended dividend of Xihe Holdings’ subsidiaries to their creditors have been posted on the Government Gazette on Wednesday (22 July).

The subsidiaries are Da Xin Tankers Pte Ltd and Nan Chiau Maritime Pte Ltd.

The following are the details of the notices of intended dividend:

Name of Company : Da Xin Tankers (Pte) Ltd (In Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidation)
Unique Entity No. / Registration No. : 198400895W
Address of Registered Office : c/o Grant Thornton Singapore Private Limited, 8 Marina View, #40-04/05 Asia Square Tower 1, Singapore 018960
Last Day for Receiving Proofs : 5 August 2026 at 5:00 pm by email to [email protected]
Name of Liquidators : Paresh Tribhovan Jotangia and Ho May Kee
Address : c/o Grant Thornton Singapore Private Limited, 8 Marina View, #40-04/05 Asia Square Tower 1, Singapore 018960

Name of Company : Nan Chiau Maritime (Pte.) Ltd. (In Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidation)
Unique Entity No. / Registration No.: 200814296Z
Address of Registered Office : c/o Grant Thornton Singapore Private Limited, 8 Marina View, #40-04/05 Asia Square Tower 1, Singapore 018960
Last Day for Receiving Proofs : 5 August 2026 at 5:00 pm by email to [email protected]
Name of Liquidators : Paresh Tribhovan Jotangia and Ho May Kee
Address : c/o Grant Thornton Singapore Private Limited, 8 Marina View, #40-04/05 Asia Square Tower 1, Singapore 018960

Photo credit: steve pb from Pixabay
Published: 23 July, 2026

Biofuel

South Korea: S-Oil launches B30-VLSFO bio bunker fuel supply

Company says it has established an integrated operating system in the Ulsan region covering the entire value chain, from feedstock procurement and blending to supply.

Published

8 hours ago

July 23, 2026

Admin

South Korea: S-Oil launches B30-VLSFO bio bunker fuel supply

South Korean petroleum and refining company S-Oil on Wednesday (22 July) said it has started supplying B30 very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO), as the company seeks to support shipping’s decarbonisation efforts and growing demand for lower-carbon bunker fuels.

The company said its B30 VLSFO contains 30% sustainable biofuel blended with conventional VLSFO and can be used without requiring modifications to existing vessels, enabling shipowners to comply more readily with emissions regulations from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the European Union (EU).

S-Oil said it has established an integrated operating system in the Ulsan region covering the entire value chain, from feedstock procurement and blending to supply. The system combines VLSFO produced at its Onsan refinery with biofuel production facilities and storage infrastructure in the Ulsan region, allowing the entire process to be carried out within a single logistics hub.

According to the company, the integrated supply chain reduces transportation requirements during production while improving supply efficiency and reliability.

S-Oil also highlighted Ulsan Port as a strategic location for marine biofuel supply, noting the port has strong demand for bio-bunker fuels, particularly from car carriers, enabling prompt and stable deliveries to key customers.

An S-Oil official stated: “In the bio-marine fuel market, not only product quality but also securing a stable supply of raw materials and an efficient supply system are important competitive advantages.

“Based on our existing bunkering business capabilities and the excellent supply infrastructure in the Onsan area, we plan to supply stable and competitive low-carbon fuel.”

Photo credit: S-Oil
Published: 23 July, 2026

Decarbonisation

Yang Ming and PSA to develop integrated sea-land decarbonisation solutions

Both will explore solutions spanning emissions measurement and verification, a digital Book-and-Claim framework, and a joint maritime-land inset token package.

Published

8 hours ago

July 23, 2026

Admin

Yang Ming and PSA to develop integrated sea-land decarbonisation solutions

PSA International (PSA) on Monday (20 July) said it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Yang Ming Marine Transport Corporation (Yang Ming) to jointly accelerate the adoption of low-carbon solutions across the maritime value chain.

Beyond emissions measurement and verification, the collaboration will focus on a digital Book-and-Claim framework and a joint maritime-land based inset token package.

“This synergy provides cargo stakeholders with a transparent and accountable sea-land pathway to achieve their decarbonisation targets,” PSA said on its website.

Yang Ming launched the green transport service, EcoSea+. This initiative integrates Yang Ming’s low-carbon navigation capabilities to empower customers with a flexible and transparent strategy to effectively reduce their Scope 3 transportation emissions. By joining forces with PSA, Yang Ming is able to expand the impact of these sustainability actions beyond the ocean.

Building on its position as a global port operator, PSA advances its Node to Network strategy through integrated port and supply chain capabilities that enable a green network of terminal and landside operations to reduce end-to-end supply chain emissions.

The agreement was officially signed by Mr Ivan Chiang, Chief Logistics Officer & Senior Vice President of Yang Ming, and Mr Eddy Ng, Group Head of Operations, Technology and Sustainability of PSA International.

Mr Ong Kim Pong, PSA International Group CEO, said, “As responsible stewards of tomorrow, PSA is committed to delivering sustainable impact across the global port and supply chain ecosystem.

“Tackling the challenges arising from climate change will require the collective efforts of all players in the maritime supply chain sector. We are excited to partner Yang Ming on the decarbonisation of global supply chains and support the transition towards a more sustainable global economy.”

Photo credit: PSA International
Published: 23 July, 2026