Japanese LNG bunkering vessel owner and operator Ecobunker Shipping Co Ltd, a joint venture including SEA-LNG members YKIP, Uyeno Marine Service, and Sumitomo Corporation, on Tuesday (4 August) launched Japan’s first multi-fuel bunkering vessel capable of both ship-to-ship liquified natural gas (LNG) and VLSFO bunkering.
The ceremony was held at Fukuoka Shipbuilding shipyard and the vessel name was revealed to be Ecobunker Tokyo Bay.
The company said it will continue to work on outfitting the vessel including installation of equipment and tanks after the ceremony.
Ecobunker Shipping added that it will continue to promote eco-friendly bunker fuel, and aim to contribute in developing Tokyo Bay as one of the world’s leading LNG bunkering hubs.
With considerations to the Covid-19 pandemic, the naming and launching ceremony was held with a limited number of attendees with live streaming on YouTube.
The Youtube videos for the ceremony including a Shinto blessing are available here, here and here.
Photo credit: Ecobunker Shipping Co Ltd
Published: 5 August, 2020
Vessels that will be supplied with Gasum’s blend of renewable maritime fuel are the time-chartered tankers Tern Ocean and Thun Evolve.
Built by Singapore’s Sembcorp Marine, the LNG-fuelled vessel’s two cranes can lift 10,000 tonnes each- making it suitable for the largest offshore construction jobs.
With COVID-19 infections escalating, stringent measures have been put in place; short-term visitors from affected areas not allowed to enter or transit through Singapore.
Collaboration areas include projects on decarbonisation, AI-driven decision support tools, predictive maintenance, and cybersecurity, said the MPA.
‘Too often the decarbonisation debate seems to descend into “my solution versus your solution”. The art of the possible or practical appears to be forgotten,’ reads report.
Attacks on tankers deepen tensions between Iran and the US, which have gradually escalated in 2019.
Caroline Yang, President of SSA, addresses issues earlier raised by players; including PMC No. 04, the seven-day restriction, contactless bunkering, sampling point, hose connection, and more.
IBIA Asia, ABIS, sources from Singapore’s bunkering and surveying companies, and an industry veteran share with Manifold Times the issues expected from MPA’s latest Covid-19 measures.
The top three positive movers in the 2020 bunker supplier list are Hong Lam Fuels Pte Ltd (+13); Chevron Singapore Pte Ltd (+12); and SK Energy International (+8), according to MPA list.
‘We will operate in the Singapore bunkering market from the Tokyo, with support from local staff at Sumitomo Corporation Singapore,’ source tells Manifold Times.
Changes include abolishing advance declaration of bunkers as dangerous cargo, reducing pilotage fees on vessels receiving bunkers, and a ‘whitelist’ system for bunker tankers.
Claim relates to deliveries of MGO to the vessels Pacific Diligence, Pacific Valkyrie, Pacific Defiance, Crest Alpha 1, and Pacific Warlock between March 2020 to April 2020.
