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SIBCON 2022 Interview: Co-Convenors offer insights into Singapore’s upcoming Digital Bunker Document Standard

Eventual adoption of Digital Bunker Document Standard speeds up interoperability between stakeholders from both public and private sectors, learns Singapore bunkering publication Manifold Times.

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AARON Digital Bunker Document Standard

The following interview with Dennis Ho and Tan Sian Lip, both Co-Convenors for the Working Group on Electronic Documentation for Bunkering, is part of coverage for the upcoming Singapore International Bunkering Conference and Exhibition (SIBCON) 2022, where Manifold Times is an official media partner. 

Mr Ho, the Managing Director of ElbOil Singapore, and Mr Tan, the Founder & CEO of Halialabs, provide the bunkering publication with an update on the development of Singapore’s Digital Bunkering Document Standard standardisation.

MT: What is the new Digital Bunker Document Standard effort and how is it different from previous attempts? What is the status of this work?

The Digital Bunkering Document Standard standardisation project, an effort which started in October 2021, is a pro-competition and market-friendly initiative that specifies the characteristics of digital documents to be exchanged by participants within the bunkering ecosystem.  

This initiative aims to achieve several key outcomes:

  • The first is that the bunkering community will be able to create digital plug & play documents, usable by any IT solution or platform across the ecosystem without intermediaries.
  • The second is that structured data should flow together with these documents.  
  • The third is for the bunkering community’s graceful evolution wherein early adopters are not held back by slower ones and the slower ones are not forced to move in lock-step with their faster counterparts.

It is important to note the standardisation does not involve specifying or building IT systems. Market participants will, however, be encouraged to do so on their own as they adopt this new standard.

The standard working group is currently in the stage of validating working drafts of specifications to assess their fit towards specific business needs within the bunkering ecosystem.  

MT: What benefits does electronic documentation offer for the local bunkering sector? 

The advent of computers and digital communications have resulted in time spent waiting for couriers disappearing into history. However, friction points between the internal e-documentation systems of different stakeholders still exist.

Standardised e-documents seek to eliminate delays and errors from manual data-entry and the time and expense of adjusting one’s IT systems to accommodate counterparties’ different data-definitions.

Unlike physical documents, e-documents are less vulnerable to tampering as anyone who receives a copy will be able to independently verify their integrity.  

E-documentation also offers flexibility in business process design as any copy stored anywhere will be as (verifiably) reliable as an original copy. Knowing whether a document back-up is dependable will, consequently, also become simpler as there is no need to depend on the security of a document’s chain-of-custody.

Businesses’ ability to change IT service providers and business partners will increase because standardised e-documents will allow businesses to process documents and data coming from any organisation and system.

MT: Who are the parties driving the development of the Digital Bunker Document Standard?

This initiative is a national standard development effort under the Singapore Standards Council. The Technical Committee for Bunkering (Liquid Ambient Fuels) undertook the task of coming up with a standard specification for digitalisation in the bunker industry in 2021 and a working group (WG) was subsequently set up in 2021 with individuals drawn the bunkering industry.

The WG includes players from the various sectors: Bunker Suppliers, Traders, Oil Terminals, Vessel Owners/Operators, Surveyors, Laboratories, Business Associations (SCIC, SSA), meter vendors, government bodies (MPA, NMC, , IMDA) and relevant standards partners (Singapore Standards Council and IT Standards Committee); other allied supply-chain partner-groups included in this effort are, IT vendors, banks, and legal firms.  

MPA is actively encouraging key members of Singapore’s maritime community, especially those that have participated in Smart Nation initiatives, to participate in the standards setting process. This paves the way for the eventual adoption of this standard and speeds up the achievement of interoperability among bunkering participants from both the public and private sectors. 

MT: Bunkering seems to have remained mired in paper; what are the digitalisation challenges for this sector?

Previous digitalisation attempts have focused on interposing shared IT platforms between transacting parties. These initiatives also try to set standards (implicitly) by creating shared IT platforms. (i.e. because users of these platforms have to comply with their data/document standards.)

However, these platforms typically require transacting (pairs of) parties to be committed on the same platform – a form of consensus that is difficult to achieve. 

This is because the bunkering and shipping sectors operate in a decentralised dynamic and decentralised market that crosses multiple established business-industrial sectors, each with their own business traditions and processes, types of IT systems, and regulations. 

Add on the fact that a lot of bunkering is being carried out successfully without digital documents; this makes the power of status quo very difficult to overcome. Just how much more business is there to be gained through further digitalisation? Efficiency and risk arguments, while valid, tend to be much less compelling to businesses than those for revenue enhancement.

MT: Which parties are able to access electronic documentation after a bunkering operation? How is access decided and what is the purpose of each party having access to the data?

IT platforms that store documents (even momentarily) on behalf of multiple parties must implement data-access policies to maintain business confidentiality.

This standard, however, being a document-specification effort, does not envision, nor does it require, shared storage.  As such the issue of data-access policies does not arise as documents can be sent directly between businesses using a platform or simpler methods, e.g. email or whatsapp, or API calls.

Members of the Digital Bunkering Document Standard standardisation projectWG on Electronic doc process for bunkering 26 Oct 2021 1

WG on Electronic doc process for bunkering 26 Oct 2021 2

Other interviews conducted by Manifold Times for coverage of SIBCON 2022 are as follows:

Related: SIBCON 2022 Interview: MFMs relevant for custody transfer of future liquid-based marine fuels, confirms Endress+Hauser
RelatedSIBCON 2022 Interview: Singapore Bunkering TC Chairman shares republic’s direction on future marine fuels
RelatedSIBCON 2022 Interview: Clyde & Co discusses handling of bunker fuel quality disputes, alt fuels contracts

 

Photo credit: Singapore Technical Committee for Bunkering
Published: 3 October, 2022

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Newbuilding

Tsuneishi delivers world’s first methanol dual-fuel Ultramax bulker to NYK

“Green Future” was delivered at Tsuneishi factory on 13 May and will be chartered by NYK Bulk & Projects Carriers, an NYK Group company, from Kambara Kisen.

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Tsuneishi delivers world’s first methanol dual-fuel Ultramax bulker to NYK

Tsuneishi Shipbuilding on Wednesday (14 May) said it has delivered the world’s first methanol dual-fuel Ultramax bulk carrier, Green Future

The 65,700 dwt vessel was delivered at its factory on 13 May and will be chartered by NYK Bulk & Projects Carriers, an NYK Group company, from Kambara Kisen.

Tsuneishi Shipbuilding said the vessel maintains the high cargo capacity and fuel efficiency characteristic of the TESS66 Aeroline design series, while enabling more sustainable operations through the use of methanol as a fuel.

The methanol fuel tank has been positioned to maximise safety and facilitate smooth cargo handling while maintaining loading efficiency. It is also equipped with a fuel-efficient main engine and Tsuneishi’s proprietary Aeroline technology to reduce wind resistance, delivering superior fuel performance.

Mr Okumura Sachio, Representative Director, President & Executive Officer of Tsuneishi Shipbuilding, said: “This delivery marks just the beginning. We will continue constructing methanol dual-fuelled vessels at our overseas facilities and remain steadfast in our pursuit of technological innovation to contribute to a more sustainable maritime industry and global environment.”

NYK said the vessel is the first bulk carrier in the NYK Group to be equipped with a dual-fuel engine that uses methanol and fuel oil.

Vessel Particulars

LOA: 199.99 m
Breadth: 32.25 m
Depth: 19.15 m
Deadweight: approx. 65,700 metric tonnes
Capacity: approx. 81,500 m3
Draft: 13.8 m

 

Photo credit: Tsuneishi Shipbuilding
Published: 15 May, 2025

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Events

Green Shiptech China Congress to explore alternative bunker fuels and ship technologies

LNG, methanol and ammonia as well as fuel cell integration will be among key issues discussed at the annual conference which will be held on 25 to 26 September in Shanghai.

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1000×600 GSCC2025 Logo

Ridge China on Wednesday (14 May) announced it will be hosting the 14th Green Shiptech China Congress (GSCC), an annual conference which will be held on 25 to 26 September in Shanghai. 

More than 4,400 experts and decision makers from governments, classification societies, shipowners, shipyards, research institutes, technology/equipment suppliers and consulting companies attended the previous GSCC from 2012 to 2024. 

For 2025, over 400 industry experts, corporate decision makers and government officials will be engaged in comprehensive discussions on current issues of IMO, EU, USCG, China MSA’s policies and regulations, designs and standards for new ship models, innovative and sustainable green ship technologies at this annual conference.

Alternative bunker fuels such as LNG, methanol and ammonia as well as fuel cell integration will be part of the important issues discussed at the event. 

Speakers will be from

  • IMO
  • European Commission
  • U.S. Coast Guard
  • China MSA
  • Financial Institutions
  • Maritime Research Institutes
  • Solution & Technology Providers
  • Shipowners
  • Shipyards
  • Classification Societies

Key topics

  • Policies and Regulations Update and Interpretate by IMO, European Commission, U.S. Coast Guard and China MSA
  • Retrofitting Vessels to Achieve Decarbonization Goals
  • Energy Efficiency Continues to Be Key for Decarbonization
  • Decarbonization Through Digitalization
  • Digital Technologies As a Key Enabler for Emissions Reduction
  • Impact of a Hull Coating Upgrade on Hull Efficiency
  • LNG As Marine Fuel: Pivoting Towards Cleaner Shipping
  • Methanol As a Marine Fuel
  • Ammonia’s Credentials As a Green Fuel
  • Wind Propulsion Technology
  • Fuel Cell Integration: Upcoming Challenges and Opportunity
  • Propelling Carbon-neutral Shipping with Green Engines and Alternative Fuels
  • Next-generation Electric and Hybrid Marine Propulsion Technologies and Components
  • Latest Developments in Energy Storage Systems

Interested parties may contact:

Mr. Quin Xu
Tel: +86 21 6607 8610 -8003
Mob: +86 13564222811
Email: [email protected] 

Note: The English and Chinese version of the event website can be found here and here respectively while the event registration can be found here

 

Photo credit: Ridge China
Published: 15 May, 2025

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Bunker Fuel

TFG Marine to launch bunker fuel supply operations in Jamaica on 1 June

Firm will commence marine fuel supply operations at Port of Kingston and on north coast of Jamaica, with Scott Petroleum, a local supplier with insight into Caribbean bunker market.

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TFG Marine to launch bunker fuel supply operations in Jamaica from 1 June

Global marine fuel supply and procurement firm TFG Marine on Wednesday (14 May) said it will launch its bunkering service in Jamaica with its local partner, Scott Petroleum. 

The marine fuel supply operations will commence at the Port of Kingston as well as on the north coast of Jamaica, from 1 June.

 “The operation is being launched in partnership with Scott Petroleum, a trusted local supplier with over two decades of experience and unmatched insight into the Caribbean bunker market,” it said in a social media post. 

Very Low Sulphur Fuel Oil (VLSFO), High Sulphur Fuel Oil (HSFO) and Low Sulphur Marine Gas Oil (LSMGO) fuels will be sourced locally from the Petrojam Limited-operated Kingston refinery and will be supplied via the bunker barge operated by Scott Petroleum.

“By combining Scott Petroleum’s local insight with TFG Marine’s global expertise and commitment to innovation, this new venture aims to set a new benchmark for marine fuel supply in the region, delivering reliable, efficient and transparent bunkering services to vessels calling at this key Caribbean port,” the company said. 

Kenneth Dam, Head of Bunkering at TFG Marine, said: “We’re very happy to be setting up in Jamaica,” It’s a strategic location with strong demand and teaming up with Scott Petroleum means that we can hit the ground running with an existing reliable, well-run operation.

“We’re looking forward to bringing TFG Marine’s global expertise and fuel supply innovation to the Caribbean, and to raising the standard of service for marine fuel customers across the region.”

 Gary Scott, CEO at Scott Petroleum, said: “We are excited about our partnership with TFG Marine. The new venture will form a strong force to expand the bunker service being offered in Jamaica and will be able to capture other opportunities that exist in the region”

 Note: For inquiries regarding TFG Marine’s new vessel supply services in the region in collaboration with Scott Petroleum, contact [email protected] or [email protected]

 

Photo credit: TFG Marine
Published: 15 May, 2025

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