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Singapore: Coriolis Master Meter for MFM verification garners international interest

Master meter will be used for verification operation of duty MFMs installed on board Singapore bunker tankers due for yearly re-validation, learns Manifold Times.

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The internal test of an Endress+Hauser Coriolis master meter which will be used by the Singapore bunkering industry for future verification/proving of its mass flow meters (MFMs) was being conducted at Jurong Port on Wednesday (5 February).

The master meter was utilised to carry out a performance verification test of the MFM unit installed on board Singapore bunker tanker Kantek 2.

The flow test, designed to identify and address the potential drift of MFM units, will reinforce the traceability and integrity of such systems used by Singapore’s MFM-equipped bunker tankers for fuel custody transfer.

Several delegates from Russia including representatives from PJSC Lukoil who came to the Republic to learn about the use of MFMs for bunkering and in particular, its MFM verification maintenance programme, witnessed the trial, learned Manifold Times.

The importance of MFM verification

Sergey Tyubekin and Andrey Kurochkin, both Chiefs at the Department of Metrology and Standardization of PJSC Lukoil, respectively overseeing the oil major’s downstream and upstream operations explained the importance of MFM verification to the Singapore bunkering publication.

“MFMs can be used by both supplier and buyer for the custody transfer of oil products, including marine fuel,” said Tyubekin and Kurochkin in a joint statement.

“Meter Verification or Meter Proving is a recurring periodical confirmation of the measuring instrument’s [MFM] compliance with its established requirements, including accuracy indicators.

“With reduced measurement errors, information related to the product’s parameters is more reliable from a custody transfer point of view.”

In reality, determining the true value during measurements is more complex due to external operating conditions.

“Environmental conditions such as precipitation and ambient temperature, process/product conditions and/or construction design features such as wear out of certain parts, and more, can lead to increased measurement uncertainty during operation,” both explained.

“Meter Verification or Meter Proving of MFMs allow these systematic errors to be detected and eliminated or reduced to acceptable values.”

Depending on the company’s practices, MFMs being used for the transfer custody of oil products in Russia are returned to their respective re-calibration facilities at a frequency of between once a year to once every four years.

For example, the Lukoil company conducts additional Monitoring of Metrological Characteristics (MMCh) for its custody transfer MFMs once a quarter under different weather conditions (winter, spring, summer, autumn) in accordance to internal regulations.

“Such large interval between proving operations (confirmation of conformity) indicates the stability of the Coriolis measurement method and the trust in its measurement,” they stated.

Benefits of using the Coriolis Mass Flow Meter as a master meter

Tyubekin and Kurochkin further believed the use of a MFM master meter for verification offer advantages over other technologies such as the reference piston prover system currently used in Russia for verification of its MFMs.

“In my opinion, the mass flow master meter has some advantages over the piston prover due to its smaller dimensions. Therefore, it is easier to move between objects of verification,” they said.

“The verification process using MFM master meters are also faster, the units are cheaper to acquire when compared to piston provers, and the technology offers the possibility to compensate for viscosity effect.

“At the same time, using an MFM master meter allows proving under real operating conditions and the real oil product. Coriolis-based MFMs also encounter minimal wear and tear due to the lack of mechanical moving parts when compared with the piston prover.”

Sherman Lee, Marketing, Sentek Marine & Trading Pte Ltd, believes the master meter will be a “game changer” for the Singapore bunkering sector when officially introduced as it shortens the time and reduces resources required for bunker MFM verification.

“This represents quite a significant amount of cost saavings for operators in maintaining the system,” notes Lee, whose company owns the Kantek 2.

“With a master meter, the setup and completion in the verification of the duty meter [MFM installed on the barge used for custody measurement] should be done in less than a day and only involving one bunker tanker.

“Arguably, the most important aspect of this operation is the ability to trace the meter’s performance in meeting international metrology standards as differences in any MFM measurements will cost the company commercial losses.”

The master meter is scheduled to undergo further tests involving Singapore authorities during the next half of February before being approved for verification operations of duty MFMs installed on board Singapore bunker tankers due for yearly re-validation.

Photo credit: Manifold Times
Published: 18 February, 2020

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China: Chimbusco and BJEC enter green methanol cooperation agreement

Document was signed between Ding Lihai, deputy general manager of Chimbusco, and Li Jianjun, deputy general manager of BJEC.

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Chimbusco x BJEC MT

China Marine Bunker (PetroChina) Co.,Ltd. (Chimbusco) and POWERCHINA Beijing Engineering Corporation Limited (BJEC) on Thursday (3 July) formally entered into a green methanol strategic cooperation framework agreement.

The document was signed between Ding Lihai, deputy general manager of Chimbusco, and Li Jianjun, deputy general manager of BJEC.

BJEC, a subsidiary of China Power Engineering Group, is experienced in the survey, design, construction and technology research and development of large-scale renewable energy projects.

Moving forward, the two parties said they will respectively focus on their core advantages and work together to promote the production, supply, storage and refuelling of green methanol as an energy source to help support the low-carbon transformation of the shipping industry.

Ding Lihai said: “The shipping industry is one of the important sources of global carbon emissions. Promoting low-carbon fuel is the key to the transformation of the industry. As the main force in the supply of bunker fuel, Chimbusco has been committed to expanding its clean fuel supply capacity. The cooperation with BJEC will integrate the advantages of green energy development and fuel supply, accelerate the large-scale application of green methanol, and meet the needs of shipping companies for clean fuel. We look forward to providing effective solutions for the green transformation of the shipping industry through the joint efforts of both parties.”

Li Jianjun said: “Implementing the ‘dual carbon’ goal is an important responsibility of enterprises. BJEC has accumulated strong technical strength in the field of green energy. This cooperation with Chimbusco will focus on the entire industrial chain of green methanol, from raw materials, production to supply, to provide clean and sustainable fuel solutions for the shipping industry. The complementary advantages of both parties will promote the rapid development of the green methanol industry and inject strong impetus into the low-carbon transformation of the shipping industry.”

 

Photo credit: China Marine Bunker (PetroChina) Co.,Ltd.
Published: 8 July 2025

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Towngas and Royal Vopak collaborate to expand green methanol supply chain network

‘Towngas has recently completed a 6,000-tonne green methanol bunkering project, the largest in Asia,” said its Chief Operating Officer – Green Fuel and Chemicals.

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Towngas x Royal Vopak MT

Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited (Towngas) and Vopak China Management Co., Ltd. (Royal Vopak) on Tuesday (8 July) said both recently signed a strategic framework cooperation agreement to collaborate in areas such as green methanol production, storage, bunkering, and trading etc.

Focusing on the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, and Asia-Pacific markets, both parties are joining forces to expand an efficient green methanol supply chain network and support the shipping industry’s low-carbon transition.

The two parties will capitalise on their respective strengths to expand the supply network of green methanol.

Towngas employs proprietary technology to convert agricultural and forestry waste as well as scrap tyres into green methanol, and has obtained multiple international certifications and provides a sufficient supply of green methanol for maritime fuel bunkering.

Royal Vopak provides green methanol storage and terminal services with its comprehensive storage and terminal infrastructure and coastal port network advantages.

Together, the two parties will achieve efficient resource allocation and ship green methanol to the Greater Bay Area, East China, South China, and the broader Asia-Pacific markets, further expanding the green methanol supply chain network.

Towngas and Royal Vopak will further develop multiple areas of regional cooperation, including in the Greater Bay Area. By leveraging the strengths of the ports in Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou, the partnership will focus on “production and storage synergy” as its core to strengthen cooperation around logistics and terminal facility construction, and to build an integrated green methanol storage and transportation network.

In East China, the two parties will centre their collaboration in Shanghai and Ningbo, two major international ports, to further strengthen cooperation in logistics storage and bunkering facility construction to meet the growing demand for green fuels at both ports.

In the Bohai Bay region, with Tianjin as the strategic hub, Towngas will transport green methanol produced at its northern China production base to Royal Vopak’s local storage tank farm, then achieve resource allocation through the Royal Vopak’s distribution network, supporting the supply of green methanol from northern China to the national and Asia-Pacific markets.

The two parties will also target key export markets, such as Singapore, Vietnam, Japan, and South Korea, to accelerate overseas expansion and boost the market competitiveness of clean energy in the Asia-Pacific region.

“Towngas has recently completed a 6,000-tonne green methanol bunkering project, the largest in Asia,” said Sham Man-fai, Towngas Chief Operating Officer – Green Fuel and Chemicals.

“It was completed with the support of Royal Vopak’s Tianjin storage tank farm facilities, laying a solid foundation for this partnership.

“Towngas’s Inner Mongolia green methanol plant is set to increase its annual capacity from 100,000 tonnes to 150,000 tonnes by the end of this year, with plans to further expand to 300,000 tonnes by 2028. Together with Royal Vopak’s storage and terminal services infrastructure and coastal port network, the two parties will build a comprehensive green methanol supply chain network.”

 

Photo credit: Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited
Published: 8 July 2025

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SEKAVIN starts new physical supply operations in the port of Istanbul and Izmit Bay

Operation is supported by three marine refuelling barges; namely Tarabya-E, Beykoz- E, and Kalamis-E.

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SEKAVIN BARGE

Piraeus-based bunkering firm SEKAVIN on Monday (7 July) said it has recently started new physical supply operations in the port of Istanbul and Izmit Bay.

The operation is supported by three marine refuelling barges; namely Tarabya-E, Beykoz- E, and Kalamis-E. The bunkering vessels have successfully completed numerous deliveries to seagoing vessels.

According to SEKAVIN, Istanbul represents one of the world’s most strategic and challenging maritime environments. The country sees more than 43,000 annual Bosphorus passages and delivers roughly 2 million metric tons per year in bunkers to receiving ships.

In a statement to Manifold Times, John Tsogas, Global Head of Bunkering at SEKAVIN, noted his company intends to offer partners “a very reliable and flexible service” covering the Northeast Med with Istanbul.

The development is in combination with the bunkering firm’s current physical operations in Syros port, together with their traditional Piraeus physical operations which have been carried out for almost 50 years.

Related: SEKAVIN and GCL to strengthen marine fuel supply and logistics in key bunkering hubs

 

Photo credit: SEKAVIN
Published: 8 July 2025

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