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Innospec launches Octamar™ series of additives for new blends of IMO 2020 bunker fuels

Octamar™ HF-10 Plus & Octamar™ Ultra HF both enhance the stability and compatibility of VLSFOs and hybrid fuels, company spokesman tells Manifold Times.

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Colorado-based global specialty chemicals company Innospec on Tuesday (3 September) launched a new series of additives specifically developed for new blends of 0.5% sulphur limit IMO 2020 bunker fuels at the 9th Biennial Bunkering in Asia conference.

The two new multi-functional additives, Octamar™ HF-10 Plus and Octamar™ Ultra HF, both enhance the stability and compatibility of VLSFOs and hybrid fuels; however, Octamar™ Ultra HF offers extra combustion improvements to aid blends with ignition issues.

“Additive solutions for marine fuels were simply a ‘good to have’ in the past, but now with IMO 2020 around the corner we are seeing so many people open to this cost effective measure for marine fuel risk management,” Martin Chew, Marine Regional Sales Manager, Asia Pacific, told Manifold Times.

“There is no straight forward solution for the changeover of IMO 2020 compliant fuels and a chemical [additive] solution is one of the ways vessels can transit from consuming HSFO to VLSFO in a safe and predictable manner.”

According to Chew, most ship owners are aware they are not recommended to mix the new blends of IMO 2020 compliant fuels due to potential issues.

“Segregation in storage tanks is possible on larger ships with many tanks. That said, in some cases this might reduce the range of the ship. Older ships with 1 set of settling and service tanks will certainly experience co-mingling at some point of time.”, he explains.

“Properties of these new fuels (e.g. viscosity, cold flow properties, CCAI and cat fines) are too varied and everyone knows of their possible stability and compatibility issues which can actually worsen under operating conditions.”

“In the end, co-mingling cannot be avoided especially when you get another new batch of compliant fuel to go on top of an initially compliant fuel – that is where the problem comes in.”

Chew notes of field reports indicating sludging issues faced by ship owners when less than 10% of different IMO 2020 compliant marine fuel blends are mixed together.

“The reason for the large range of properties seen in IMO 2020 compliant fuels is due to refiners, who are more concerned about meeting  ISO 8217 specifications, each having different blends.”, informs Lawrence Chia, VP Sales – Asia Pacific, Performance Specialities.

Innospec has been supplying additives to heavy fuel refining customers for the past 80 years.

“We are also working with a lot of refineries and we’re trying to help them to meet the specifications of IMO 2020 fuels; what we are seeing is that they are having problems with CFPP (cold filter plugging point), pour point, TSP (total sediment potential), and combustibility.” notes Chia.

“That’s why we are seeing compliant fuels produced by refiners having a wide range and much lower viscosity. As the refiners’ concern is limited to meeting the ISO 8217 specification, the potential operational issues are with the end user.”

“Our products [Octamar™ HF-10 Plus and Octamar™ Ultra HF] have gone through intensive R&D over the past one year where we collected close to 100 samples for testing at the refinery level.”

“We actually tested our additives on IMO 2020 compliant marine fuels and can verify these products are able to stabilise the fuels and greatly reduce the chances of operational issues when the fuels are co-mingled.”

Contact details of Chew and Chia are as follows:

Martin Chew
Marine Regional Sales Manager, Asia Pacific
Direct: +65 6664 8610
Email: [email protected]

Lawrence Chia
VP Sales – Asia Pacific, Performance Specialities
Direct: +65 6664 8606
Email: [email protected]

Innospec Limited
Branch Office Singapore
47 Scotts Road
#06-01 Goldbell Towers
Singapore 228233

Photo credit: Innospec
Published: 6 September, 2019

 

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Technology

Singapore: Ofiniti, ONE trial direct platform integration to streamline bunker workflows

Ofiniti started a trial in Singapore, integrating FuelBoss directly with a bunker buyer’s own platform, with Ocean Network Express as its first buyer-side integration partner.

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Singapore: Ofiniti, ONE trial direct platform integration to streamline bunker workflows

Ofiniti, the digital platform for maritime fuel operations, on Tuesday (21 July) said it has started a trial in Singapore, integrating FuelBoss directly with a bunker buyer’s own platform.

The company announced Singapore-headquartered container shipping firm Ocean Network Express (ONE) as its first buyer-side integration partner. 

“It is no coincidence we start in Singapore, as the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) remains at the forefront of digitalisation of all things bunkering,” the company said in a social media post.

In November 2023, MPA launched its digital bunkering platform, becoming the world’s first port to implement e-BDN. 

Ofiniti said every bunker delivery still runs on retyped data. 

“The buyer’s system says one thing, the supplier says another, and someone reconciles the gap by email, phone, or PDF. On every stem,” the company said. 

“We built FuelBoss to change this reality.”

With the integration, operational data now flows without manual re-entry, fewer reconciliation errors and faster processing and data, instead of documents, are readily available for procurement and claims workflows. 

“One connection will not transform the industry on its own, but digitalisation gets built one integration at a time. We are grateful to ONE for being willing to go first,” Ofiniti added.

Manifold Times previously reported ONE completing its successful trial of the electronic Bunker Delivery Note (e-BDN) with Shell. 

The e-BDN trial, using the digital bunkering solution developed by Angsana Technology, was conducted on 9 September 2023 at the Port of Singapore, with support from the MPA.

In March 2025, Ofiniti acquired Singapore-based Angsana Technology, with the entire Angsana team joining Ofiniti as part of the acquisition.

Related: MPA Chief Executive: Port of Singapore begins digital bunkering initiative today
Related: Singapore set to become first port in the world to debut electronic bunker delivery notes
Related: ONE completes e-BDN adoption trial with Shell in Port of Singapore
Related: Ofiniti acquires Singapore-based Angsana Technology to advance digital bunkering solutions

 

Photo credit: Ofiniti
Published: 22 July, 2026

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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.

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RESIZED Sora Shimazaki on Pexels

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.

Related: Singapore: Hin Leong Founder OK Lim gets jail term slashed to 13.5 years

 

Photo credit: Sora Shimazaki
Published: 21 July, 2026

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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.

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RESIZED Drew Beamer

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.

Related: Singapore: Director declares Heng Tong Fuels & Shipping’s inability to continue business
Related: Heng Tong Fuels & Shipping in court over DBS Bank bunker tanker loan
Related: Singapore: Bunker tanker “Coastal Neptune” arrested
Related: Heng Tong Fuels & Shipping, Coastal Logistics tankers enter S&P market

 

Photo credit: Drew Beamer
Published: 21 July, 2026

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