Business

IBIA: MSC 105 approves new IMO regulations on flashpoint

If fully adopted at MSC 106 in November, SOLAS amendments to prevent supply of marine fuels with a flashpoint of below 60°C are expected to be enforced from 1 January, 2026.

Published

4 years ago

May 13, 2022

Admin

The International Bunker Industry Association (IBIA) on Thursday (4 May) published an article discussing a set of SOLAS amendments related to the flashpoint of bunker fuels that were approved by the 105th session of Maritime Safety Committee (MSC 105):

A set of SOLAS amendments designed to prevent the supply of fuels in breach of the 60°C SOLAS limit have been approved by the 105th session of Maritime Safety Committee (MSC 105), and are expected to be formally adopted in November this year at MSC 106.

IBIA has worked hard to ensure the amendments are pragmatic and workable, after a majority of Member States and other NGOs with consultative status at the IMO decided to add a range of new requirements under SOLAS.

Work on these amendments have been going on for years under an agenda item called “Development of Further Measures to Enhance the Safety of Ships Relating to the Use of Fuel Oil”. IBIA has taken active part in this work, including in the Correspondence Group on Oil Fuel Safety working between MSC meetings.

The SOLAS amendments will make it mandatory for all cases where “oil fuel suppliers have failed to meet the requirements specified in SOLAS regulation II-2/4.2.1” and for the appropriate authorities to “take action as appropriate against oil fuel suppliers” that have been found to deliver non-compliant fuel.

While these SOLAS amendments are straightforward, discussions have centred on the difficulties associated with defining “confirmed cases” and new requirements on suppliers for documentation and assurances regarding flashpoint.

During MSC 105, a working group was tasked with finalising the relevant SOLAS amendments, taking into account the report of the Correspondence Group and two other submissions; one from IBIA (MSC 105/5/1) and one from China (MSC 105/5/2) as well as the outcome of MEPC 77.

You can find a copy of MSC 105/5/1 by IBIA by clicking HERE.

Many interested parties have been calling for a mandatory requirement for suppliers to document the actual flashpoint on the bunker delivery note (BDN) regardless of temperature. IBIA has said throughout that a supplier declaration of compliance would be sufficient as part of the SOLAS amendments. Recognising that a majority was seeking a requirement for a specific flashpoint value to be recorded on the BDN, IBIA strongly recommend requiring only values below 70°C to be specifically documented.

Following long discussions in the working group; IBIA’s proposals in MSC 105/5/1 were either followed or partially used. A majority of the working group recognised that testing to determine if the fuel has a flashpoint above 70°C is sufficient to guarantee it is above the 60°C minimum.

The following daft amendments to SOLAS Chapter II-2 were approved at MSC 105:

Part A: General – Regulation 3

Definitions

The following new paragraphs are added after existing paragraph 58, together with the associated footnotes:

59 Confirmed case (flashpoint): A confirmed case is when a representative sample analysed in accordance with standards acceptable to the Organization* by an accredited laboratory** reports the flash point as measured to be below 60°C.

* ISO 2719:2016- Determination of flash point – Pensky-Martens closed cup method, Procedure A (for Distillate Fuels) or Procedure B (for Residual Fuels)

** The laboratory is to be accredited to ISO/IEC 17025:2017 or an equivalent standard for the performance of the given flash point test ISO 2719:2016.

60 Representative sample is a product specimen having its physical and chemical characteristics identical to the average characteristics of the total volume being sampled.

61 Oil fuel is defined in regulation 1 of Annex 1 of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973, as modified by the Protocol of 1978 relating thereto.

Part B: Prevention of fire and explosion – Regulation 4

Probability of ignition

The following new paragraphs are added after existing paragraph 2.1.5, together with the associated footnotes:

.6 ships carrying oil fuel shall prior to bunkering be provided with a declaration signed and certified by the fuel oil supplier’s representative that the oil fuel supplied is in conformity with regulation SOLAS II.2/4.2.1 and the test method used for determining the flashpoint. A bunker delivery note for the fuel delivered to the ship shall contain the flashpoint specified in accordance with standards acceptable to the Organization*, or a statement that flashpoint has been measured at or above 70ºC**;

* ISO 2719:2016, Determination of flash point – Pensky-Martens closed cup method, Procedure A (for Distillate Fuels) or Procedure B (for Residual Fuels)

** This information may be included in the bunker delivery note according MARPOL Annex VI/18

.7 the Contracting Governments undertake to ensure that appropriate authorities designated by them inform the Organization for transmission to Contracting Governments and Member States of the Organization of all confirmed cases where oil fuel suppliers have failed to meet the requirements specified in SOLAS regulation II-2/4.2.1; and

.8 the Contracting Governments undertake to ensure that appropriate authorities designated by them take action as appropriate against oil fuel suppliers that have been found to deliver fuel that does not comply with regulation SOLAS regulation II-2/4.2.1.

If adopted at MSC 106 in November this year, these SOLAS amendments are expected to enter into force as of 1 January, 2026. Individual governments may decide to implement the amendments early.

The 77th session of the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 77), which met in November 2021, considered draft amendments to amend Appendix V – Information to be included in the bunker delivery note (Regulation 18.5) by adding “Flashpoint (°C)” to the list of information, below “Sulphur content (% m/m)”. (More info HERE)

MEPC 77 decided to await the outcome of MSC 105 on the flashpoint data that ought to be recorded and reported in relation to safety. (More info HERE)

MSC therefore invited MEPC 78, which meets for a week from 6 June, to note the draft SOLAS amendments with regard to flashpoint.

Photo credit: International Bunker Industry Association
Published: 13 May, 2022

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.

Published

10 hours ago

July 21, 2026

Admin

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.

Photo credit: Sora Shimazaki
Published: 21 July, 2026

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.

Published

10 hours ago

July 21, 2026

Admin

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.

Photo credit: Drew Beamer
Published: 21 July, 2026

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.

Published

10 hours ago

July 21, 2026

Admin

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