Business

OCIMF and CCNR launch revised safety guide for inland tank-barges and terminals

Guide makes recommendations for inland tankers and terminal personnel on the safe carriage and handling of such products typically carried in petroleum and chemicals or liquefied gas inland tankers.

Published

3 years ago

February 15, 2023

Admin

Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF) and the inland navigation sector with the support of the Central Commission for the Navigation of the Rhine (CCNR) have collaborated with other European organisations to produce the second edition of the International Safety Guide for Inland Navigation Tank-barges and Terminals (ISGINTT), according to CCNR on Monday (13 February).

The purpose of ISGINTT is to improve the safe transport of dangerous goods at the interface between inland tank barges and other vessels or shore facilities (terminals). The safety guide is compatible with other international maritime guidance for seagoing vessels (e.g. International Safety Guide for Oil Tankers and Terminals (ISGOTT)). It is not intended to replace or to amend current legal requirements, but to provide additional recommendations.

The guide makes recommendations for inland tankers and terminal personnel on the safe carriage and handling of such products typically carried in petroleum, chemicals or liquefied gas inland tankers, as well as the terminals handling those inland tankers.

This edition encompasses changes in tanker design and operating practices and reflects the latest technology and legislation.

Its implementation is recommended by OCIMF and the following participating industry organisations: European Barge Union (EBU), European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC), European Federation of Inland Ports (EFIP), European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO), European Skippers Organisation (ESO), Federation of European Tank Storage (FETSA), FuelsEurope, Inland Waterways Transport Platform (IWT Platform), International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), and Society of International Gas Tanker and Terminal Operators (SIGTTO), along with the necessary political support of CCNR.

A risk-based control philosophy continues to be central to the safety practices included in the guide.

Karen Davis, Managing Director, Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF), said: “By enhancing risk awareness, ISGINTT seeks to foster an environment where the uncertainties associated with some shipboard operations are reduced not solely by prescription, but also by encouraging barges and terminal crew, as well as their employers, to identify the risks in everything they are doing and to then implement fit-for-purpose risk reduction measures.

“This puts the focus on people and is, therefore, entirely consistent with a strategy related to the human element which has had increased focus in recent years.”

Central to the guide is a number of safety check-lists covering ship/shore as well as inland ship/maritime ship (and vice versa) transhipment of cargo and slops. These check-lists have been developed to reflect the individual and joint responsibilities of the tank barge and the terminal and can be easily adopted by all ports and terminals.

Lucia Luijten, Secretary General, Central Commission for the Navigation of the Rhine (CCNR), said: “Safety is critical to the tank barging industry, and it is hoped that this revised guide will become the standard guideline on the safe operation of inland tank-barges and the terminals they serve.

“We are confident that ISGINTT will not only contribute to the further improvement of the industry’s excellent safety record but will also bring us closer to the goal of zero accidents to which we all aspire. We, therefore, recommend it to all interested parties.”

This second edition has been kept to the original structure for ease of use. It is divided into five sections: “General Information”, “Tanker Information”, “Terminal Information”, “Management of the Tanker and Terminal Interface”, and “Additional Information for the Handling of Liquefied Gases”.

The guide compiles the contributions from various organisations, including CCNR, CEFIC, EBU, EFIP, ESO, FETSA, FuelsEurope, IWT Platform and OCIMF.

ISGINTT gathers good practices as recommended by the participating industry associations. OCIMF, CCNR and the participating industry organisations view ISGINTT as an innovative and valuable tool for improving safety in inland navigation.

Note: The guide can be downloaded for free on the OCIMF website here and the ISGINTT website here.

Photo credit: OCIMF / CCNR
Published: 15 February, 2023

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

12 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

12 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

12 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