There is “no indication” Singapore lacks qualified bunker surveyors, says a spokesperson of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) on Friday (14 February).
The authority was responding to a media query from Singapore bunker publication Manifold Times over an earlier article where players within the Singapore bunkering sector claimed it is currently facing a ‘talent gap’ over the recruitment of qualified bunker surveyor staff.
The reply of MPA is as follows:
Currently, there are more than 260 qualified bunker surveyors licensed by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA). There is no indication that the number of licensed bunker surveyors is insufficient to meet the demand. We note that the number of licensed bunker surveyors and bunker surveys carried out in Singapore have remained relatively stable in the last two years. These licensed bunker surveyors are trained by STET Maritime Pte Ltd, a service provider appointed by MPA, to conduct bunker surveys in accordance with the Technical Reference for bunker mass flow metering (TR48: 2015). Beyond this mandatory training course, bunker surveying companies also provide on-the-job training to their surveyors. Based on our engagements with industry stakeholders such as shipowners, we did not receive any negative feedback on the shortage of bunker surveyors in Singapore or lack of their training to carry out their jobs professionally.
STET currently conducts up to two runs of the bunker surveying course per year, subject to demand from the industry. We note that STET has conducted two runs in 2019 and the training vacancies provided by STET are sufficient for companies seeking to train new bunker surveyors. STET has scheduled the next two runs for 10 February and 15 June 2020.
To further assist the industry including the bunker surveyors, the MPA is preparing the industry players for the transition to newly launched Code of Practice for Bunker Mass Flow Metering (Singapore Standards SS 648: 2019). MPA is working with the appointed course service providers to offer relevant courses to upskill the bunker surveyors. MPA will be sharing more detailed information on the courses when ready. We will continue to work with industry stakeholders to review the training needs for bunker surveyors as required under the licensing regime.
Related: Singapore bunkering sector faces manpower ‘talent gap’ for qualified bunker surveyors
Photo credit: Manifold Times
Published: 14 February, 2020
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