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Singapore bunker surveyors welcome COVID-19 routine testing initiative, but suggest changes

‘We believe the RTT for bunker surveyors is an effective and good model for Singapore, as the largest International bunkering hub and also a maritime hub, to adopt,’ says IBIA.

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Bunker surveyors in Singapore have welcomed a government initiative that will see its members undergo Rostered Routine Testing (RRT) as part of the republic’s precautions and measures for the COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019) pandemic, but believe the move can be better implemented.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) on Wednesday (26 August) issued a notice requiring maritime frontline workers who are in direct contact with foreign ship crew or travellers to undergo COVID-19 RRT every 14 days to reduce the risk of infections.

The RRT, an initiative under the Ministry of Health’s testing strategy, will commence from 15 September onwards with the cost borne by the Singapore government until the end of March 2021.

“Please note that Health Promotion Board (HPB) will carry out pooled testing of 5 workers each time instead of an individual,” stated the MPA notice.

“As such, kindly plan your workers slots in a group of 5 (as much as possible/practicable) from 15 Sep onwards accordingly. You may want to consider spreading them evenly across the 14 days (i.e.15 Sep to 28 Sep) since there will be a daily swab quota which will be decided by HPB.”

The development to introduce RTT was largely well-received by Singapore’s bunker surveyors who believed early intervention was needed to protect maritime frontline workers as well as their families.

“We have checked with several IBIA members that are bunker surveying companies regarding the matter,” Alex Tang, Regional Manager Asia, at the International Bunker Industry Association (IBIA) told Manifold Times.

“They have all expressed support and appreciate the proactive initiative by Singapore government and MPA for COVID-19 screening.

“We believe the RTT for bunker surveyors is an effective and good model for Singapore, as the largest International bunkering hub and also a maritime hub, to adopt.”

Captain Rahul Choudhuri, Managing Director (Asia, Middle East, Africa) at Veritas Petroleum Services (VPS), agreed with IBIA’s viewpoint.

“I think the initiative will enhance the reliability of bunker surveyors and give added assurance to shipowners and operators coming to Singapore port. So this is a positive step by MPA and I think it is the right way to go,” he said.

“The principle is good but I do have some concern on testing every 14 days. The period seems rather short and could affect operations. A longer retest period seems more pragmatic.”

Navin Singh, Quality Manager and Business Development Manager at International marine consultancy, surveying and inspection service provider Viking Marine Services, whose company has earlier voluntarily implemented mandatory COVID-19 testing for its Fujairah-based surveyors, was supportive of RTT.

“This has to be done to safeguard us at the end of the day,” he said.

“I do know that other ports are performing only swab tests and letting crew changes happen without quarantining the crew. So, there is always a risk of them getting infected onboard the vessel and this has already happened with the recent case at Singapore involving a Bahamas-registered ship.”

He notes the MPA notice stating RRT to be done in groups of five where operationally feasible and believes this can be solved with additional planning.

“At the end of the day, the surveyors need to have a peace of mind when they return home.”

A spokesperson of the Association of Bunker Industry (Singapore), also known as ABIS, was supportive of COVID-19 testing but believed the RTT can be more practical if staff were tested in groups of three, rather than five.

“We have earlier suggested to MPA to allow groups of three for tests instead of five due to the tight schedule and unforeseen planning faced by bunker surveyors during operations, and surveying firms need people on the ground to work,” he said.

“Some smaller bunker surveying firms have only two to three surveyors so having to stop operations and getting the entire staff count present for RTT is unpractical. A suggested solution will be to allocate at least half the strength to go for COVID-19 testing, with the other half remaining on standby.

“In addition, having us plan for a RTT session every two weeks in advance is too short a period to get ready. It is well known that vessel ETAs often change and we can’t tell which days are actually busy as surveyors have to remain on standby to board.”

A senior Singapore bunker surveyor explained the issue in detail to Manifold Times.

“As with all surveying companies, our planning for jobs will be greatly affected when we need to send our boys in groups of five to be tested,” he shared while adding, “vessels call at different hours to Singapore port and our jobs will start and finish at different times.”

“Assuming a RTT session has been organized at 1100hrs, surveyors working the night before will need to ensure they can finish their jobs before 0900hrs. However, factors such as weather, any delay in the completion of the job, timeliness of the launch craft back to shore, queues at the immigration checkpoints, and other unforeseen events also need to be taken into account.

“Another factor is our jobs are based on vessels’ ETA timings which are usually not confirmed.

“There must be a flexible system in place where we can notify MOH for any changes in testing appointments with the ability to make changes to the appointment should the surveyor be delayed onboard the vessel, with testing allowed for individuals and not as a group.

“We are happy that the government wants to do free testing for us, but not in groups of five. Also, it seems free testing will stop by the end of March next year. We imagine the cost of such tests would be very high if it were to be borne entirely by us.”

 

Photo credit: Manifold Times
Published: 28 August, 2020

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Legal

Helmsman on Inter-Pacific Petroleum legal battle: When ignorance meets fraud

Lester Ho, Associate Director of law firm Helmsman shared his timely key takeaways on the recent case of Goh Jin Hian against defunct Singapore bunker supplier Inter-Pacific Petroleum.

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Lester Ho Helmsman

Lester Ho, Associate Director of multi-disciplinary law firm Helmsman LLC shared his timely key takeaways on the recent case of Goh Jin Hian v Inter-Pacific Petroleum when the Appellate Division of the High Court in Singapore overturned the High Court’s finding that Mr Goh’s breach had caused IPP to incur the losses:

The collapse of a company often prompts a search for blame, especially where the downfall stems from deliberate misconduct such as fraud that appears avoidable in hindsight. Unsurprisingly, a company’s directors are frequently perceived as the root of the problem and become prime suspects in the inevitable witch hunt for accountability. The recent case of Goh Jin Hian v Inter-Pacific Petroleum Pte Ltd (in liquidation) [2025] SGHC(A) 7 is a timely reminder of a director’s duties as well as the legal risks in the event of breach.

The downfall of Inter-Pacific Petroleum Pte Ltd (“IPP”) is well-documented. The Maritime Port Authority of Singapore suspended IPP’s bunker craft operator licence after discovering that the mass flow meter of a bunker tanker chartered by IPP had been tampered with. Concerns raised by IPP’s banks in relation to its business led its non-executive director, Mr Goh Jin Hian, to discover that it was heavily indebted to the banks. It was also discovered that the facilities had been used on sham sale and purchase transactions.

IPP was subsequently placed in compulsory liquidation, and Mr Goh was sued for breach of his director’s duties. It was alleged that the sham transactions could have been prevented had Mr Goh discharged his duties and that he was therefore responsible for IPP’s losses. At first instance, the High Court found that Mr Goh had breached his duty of care and ordered him to compensate IPP for approximately US$146 million in losses (Inter-Pacific Petroleum Pte Ltd (in liquidation) v Goh Jin Hian [2024] SGHC 178). Among other things, the High Court found that Mr Goh was in breach because he was entirely ignorant of IPP’s cargo trading business.

The Appellate Division of the High Court upheld the finding that Mr Goh had breached his duty for having been unaware of IPP’s cargo trading business. However, it overturned the High Court’s finding that Mr Goh’s breach had caused IPP to incur the losses. The Appellate Division found that IPP failed to prove that Mr Goh would have uncovered the sham transactions even if he had discharged his duty. Accordingly, Mr Goh was absolved of his liability to compensate IPP.

There are two broad takeaways from the decision.

The first takeaway is that every director, both executive and non-executive, is held to a minimum standard of care. This standard requires directors to take reasonable steps to put themselves in a position where they can guide and monitor the management of the company. Put simply, ignorance of a company’s business is no defence, even for non-executive directors that are not involved in everyday operations. Accordingly, although Mr Goh was a non-executive director, the fact that he was unaware that IPP was carrying on the business of cargo trading meant that he was in breach of his duties.

It may be surprising that a director could be entirely unaware of an important part of a company’s business. But the reality is that modern day companies have become commercial behemoths with complex and layered operations that makes it all too easy for directors (especially non-executive directors) to delegate oversight over critical business decisions and lose visibility of what their companies do. It is therefore important for directors, regardless of their formal titles, to ensure that there is a robust chain of reporting and command such that they have sufficient knowledge of the company’s operations to discharge their duties.

The second is that, while the law imposes high standards on directors, it does not demand unrealistic standards. As noted, the Appellate Division accepted that Mr Goh had breached his duties for having been unaware of IPP’s cargo trading business. However, it was not persuaded that, even if Mr Goh had discharged his duties and had been properly informed of IPP’s activities, the sham transactions could have been prevented. IPP was affected by what the Appellate Division considered a “deep-seated fraud” that had gone undetected even by IPP’s auditors. In the circumstances, it was far from clear that Mr Goh could have prevented the loss even if he had discharged his duty.

However, just because the law does not expect directors to be superhuman does mean that directors can afford to be complacent. Directors would still do well to take reasonable and diligent steps to ensure that they have a good grasp of the company’s operations and engage competent professionals (e.g., auditors) to help surface risks that they may otherwise miss. In a sense, Mr Goh avoided liability not because his breach was minor, but because the extent of the fraud perpetrated meant that the gravity of his breach cannot be said to have caused the loss. In other words, a less sophisticated or extensive fraud might have yielded a drastically different outcome – directors should take heed.

A timeline organised list of events preceding the current development of Inter-Pacific Petroleum has been recorded by Manifold Times below:

Related: Singapore: Ex-Director of Inter-Pacific Petroleum wins appeal against former company

Related: Singapore: Ex-Director of Inter-Pacific Petroleum appeals High Court decision
Related: Singapore: Former auditors of Inter-Pacific Petroleum undergo private oral examination at court
Related: Singapore: Civil trial between Inter-Pacific Petroleum and Dr Goh Jin Hian begins
Related: Former Singapore Director of Inter-Pacific Petroleum sued for USD 156 million
Related: Inter-Pacific Petroleum creditors authorised to fund lawsuit against former Director
Related: New Silkroutes under investigation over possible breach of Securities and Futures Act
Related: Judicial Managers considering to take former Singapore Director of Inter-Pacific Petroleum to court
Related: Singapore: Inter-Pacific Group receives winding up order from High Court
Related: Singapore: Inter-Pacific Group files for winding up application at High Court
Related: MPA revokes Inter-Pacific Petroleum Pte Ltd bunker supplier licence
Related: Co-heads of Trade and Commodities Finance for Asia-Pacific leave SocGen
Related: Inter-Pacific Group, Inter-Pacific Petroleum to hold creditors’ meet
Related: NewOcean detains Singapore-flagged bunker tanker “Pacific Energy 28”
Related: SocGen lawsuit against NewOcean Petroleum dropped, party to counterclaim
Related: MPA revokes Inter-Pacific Petroleum bunker craft operator licence
Related: Magnets on MFMs: Trial starts for former bunker clerk of “Consort Justice
Related: First suspect charged over MFM tampering in landmark case
Related: With nearly $180 million of debt, IPP proposes interim judicial management
Related: Inter-Pacific Group, Inter-Pacific Petroleum under judicial management
Related: Magnets on MFMs: “Consort Justice” crew pleads ‘not guilty’ to tampering charge
Related: IPP responds to temporary suspension of bunker craft operator licence
Related: MPA temporarily suspends IPP bunker craft operator licence
Related: Singapore: Bunker Cargo officer, crew face charges over alleged MFM tampering

 

Photo credit: Helmsman
Published: 13 June, 2025

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Alternative Fuels

China’s SDARI receives AiPs for alternative-fuelled ships including ammonia bunker vessel

CSSC’s SDARI obtained Approval in Principle (AiP) certificates from classification societies ABS, RINA and LR for four vessel designs including a 50,000 cubic metre ammonia bunkering vessel.

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China’s SDARI receives AiPs for alternative-fuelled ships including ammonia bunker vessel

China State Shipbuilding Corporation’s (CSSC) Shanghai Merchant Ship Design and Research Institute (SDARI) recently obtained Approval in Principle (AiP) certificates from several classification societies for four vessel designs. 

Among the four is a 50,000 cubic metre (m3) ammonia bunkering vessel, which received AiP certificate from American Bureau of Shipping (ABS). 

It integrates liquid ammonia transportation and bunkering functions and can meet the long-distance transportation needs of liquefied gas goods such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and liquid ammonia. 

The ship is equipped with three IMO Type A independent liquid cargo tanks, and uses zero-carbon ammonia fuel to drive the main engine and generator, meeting the IMO greenhouse gas emission reduction strategy and actively responding to the latest greenhouse gas intensity (GFI) requirements of the 83rd meeting of the IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 83). 

The entire ship is equipped with two independent 1,000 m3 deck liquid ammonia storage tanks, taking into account the ammonia fuel endurance requirements under multi-cargo loading and unloading, significantly improving operational economy and flexibility. 

In response to the needs of bunkering operations, it is specially equipped with a retractable bow thruster, side thruster and adjustable propellers to meet ABS’ DPS-1 notation and adapt to the complex port environment of bunkering operations. 

China’s SDARI receives AiPs for alternative-fuelled ships including ammonia bunker vessel

Meanwhile, a dual-fuel LNG/hydrogen-powered Ultramax bulker design and a 30,000 GT Roll-On/Roll-Off Passenger (ROPAX) ship designed to sail in the Mediterranean Sea received AiP certificates from RINA. 

SDARI also received AiP from Lloyd’s Register (LR) for a 113,000 dwt ammonia dual-fuel liquid cargo ship. The optimised propulsion system, specially configured with an ammonia dual-fuel power system and a wind-assisted propulsion system, is expected to save more than 10% energy, especially at low speeds. 

 

Photo credit: Shanghai Merchant Ship Design and Research Institute
Published: 12 June, 2025

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Alternative Fuels

GCMD-BCG survey: 77% of shipowners, operators view net zero as high strategic priority

Survey also found the use of bio-blended bunker fuels has more than doubled to 46% and methanol use has increased from 3% to 6% but uptake of more nascent technologies such as ammonia remains limited.

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GCMD-BCG survey: 77% of shipowners, operators view net zero as high strategic priority

The Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) on Wednesday (11 June) said a survey found 77% of shipowners and operators now consider achieving net zero a high priority in their strategy, up from 73% two years ago.

This was among the findings of the second edition of the Global Maritime Decarbonisation Survey, jointly conducted by GCMD and Boston Consulting Group (BCG) between October 2024 and February 2025.

The survey gathered 114 responses from shipowners and operators across a range of vessel types, fleet sizes, and regions. While the survey was conducted before the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) MEPC 83 session in April, its findings already reflected sustained commitment across the industry. The outcomes of MEPC 83—introducing new regulatory targets and incentives—are expected to reinforce these ambitions and further accelerate momentum.

Survey results show that 60% of respondents have now set net-zero targets (up from 54%), while the use of bio-blended fuels has more than doubled to 46%, and methanol use has increased from 3% to 6%. However, uptake of more nascent technologies—such as ammonia, wind-assisted propulsion systems, solar panels, super-light ships, and air lubrication—remains limited.

The survey also reflects the industry’s desire for policies and regulations to create a level playing field. Nearly three-quarters of respondents identified either compliance measures or financial incentives as the most important policy objectives. A level playing field will ensure that early adopters are not competitively disadvantaged on cost and stakeholders with limited resources can benefit from financial support to overcome economic barriers.

The survey also gathered insights from key bunkering ports, whose support is critical for maritime decarbonisation. Most surveyed ports have roadmaps and dedicated teams focused on initiatives to facilitate maritime decarbonisation, and all of them, namely Port of Antwerp-Bruges, Port of Long Beach, Port of New York and New Jersey, Port of Rotterdam, and Port of Singapore, offer green incentives. 

A significant concern for ports, however, is the lack of demand certainty from shipping companies for both low-carbon fuels and Onboard Carbon Capture Systems (OCCS). This ‘chicken-and-egg’ dilemma hinders ports to take on the investment decision to develop the requisite infrastructure, though the recently introduced GHG pricing mechanism is expected to strengthen demand signals for low-carbon fuels.

Dr Sanjay C Kuttan, Chief Strategy Officer of GCMD, said, “Positive developments in maritime policy, especially from the IMO, which further tighten limits on GHG emissions, along with the increased ambitions voiced by survey respondents, are encouraging signals. Greater cooperation with the ports and pertinent stakeholders across the various value chains will be required to address challenges across the broader ecosystem. With the right investments and collaborative actions, the maritime industry can chart a course to a future where sustainable decarbonisation and commercial success can co-exist.

Anand Veeraraghavan, Managing Director and Senior Partner of BCG, said, “It is encouraging to see that even in the face of global uncertainties, the maritime industry’s decarbonisation ambitions remain intact and steadfast. The recent MEPC outcomes mark a pivotal step forward, sharpening demand signals with incentives for exceeding compliance goals and penalty mechanisms for shortfalls. Now is the time for the industry—both ships and ports—to build on this momentum.

Note: The second edition of the GCMD–BCG Global Maritime Decarbonisation Survey report can be viewed here

 

Photo credit: Lukas Blazek on Unsplash
Published: 12 June, 2025

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