Business

Sinanju and ExxonMobil ink time-charter agreement for LNG-fuelled bunker tanker

The 7,990 dwt Marine Vicky will join Sinanju’s 13-vessel bunker fleet in December 2019 to delivering ExxonMobil’s new EMF.5™ Engineered Marine Fuels.

Published

7 years ago

August 18, 2019

Admin

Sinanju Logistics Services, the tanker operating arm of Sinanju Tankers Holdings (Sinanju) has entered into a two-year time charter agreement on 25 July with ExxonMobil Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd. (ExxonMobil) for a new-build bunker tanker five months ahead of commencing operations.

The 7,990 dwt newbuilding, soon to be christened Marine Vicky, will be the first bunker tanker for Singapore and Sinanju, to be powered mainly by liquefied natural gas (LNG).

The deal will commit Marine Vicky to delivering ExxonMobil’s new EMF.5™ Engineered Marine Fuels to ocean-going vessels within Singapore port limits from the first quarter of next year (2020). This will help ensure that ExxonMobil’s customers can bunker the high quality, compliant options they need.

Under the Maritime Singapore Green Port Programme, registered vessels that are serviced by alternative or cleaner marine fuelled harbour crafts during their port stay – such as receiving bunker from LNG-powered bunker tankers – stand to receive a 10% port dues concession.

“Sinanju is delighted to enter into a new phase of collaboration with ExxonMobil, with whom we have had a long and successful working relationship,” shared Ju Kai Meng, Managing Director of Sinanju.

“As responsible stakeholders of the maritime industry, we are stepping up to promote the use of LNG as a sustainable alternative marine fuel to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and we encourage more of such bunker tankers to operate in Singapore.

“The Technical Reference for LNG Bunkering (TR56:2017) to skill up for the safe and efficient handling of LNG is in place and we have a budding but comprehensive infrastructure to support the supply and use of LNG as a marine fuel at the world’s largest bunkering port.

“We will now focus on competence building through hands-on operations of this LNG-powered bunker tanker. I believe the invaluable experience garnered will serve as a strong foundation towards our preparation to embark on ship-to-ship LNG bunker deliveries from 2021.”

“ExxonMobil is glad to be partnering with Sinanju in its effort to reduce emissions in its operations,” said Asia Pacific Sales Director of ExxonMobil Marine Fuels, Koh Sing Liang.

“We are committed to doing our part to meet the demand for cleaner marine fuel supplies safely and reliably, while at the same time, reduce environmental impact and provide sustainable solutions.”

The Marine Vicky is a 103-metre long 19-m wide bunker tanker classed by Bureau Veritas. She is equipped with a 55m3 LNG tank paired with a fuel gas supply system on deck for engine propulsion. She is being built at Keppel Offshore & Marine's shipyard in Nantong, China, under the the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore’s LNG bunkering pilot programme.

The vessel will join Sinanju’s 13-vessel bunker fleet in December 2019.

Photo credit: Sinanju Tankers Holdings
Published: 19 August, 2019

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

9 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

9 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

9 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