Singapore: CTI-Maritec publishes whitepaper on upcoming mandatory enhanced bunker fuel tests

Bunker fuel testing and marine surveying business Maritec Pte Ltd (CTI-Maritec) on Monday (1 April) published its latest whitepaper related to the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore’s (MPA) move to introduce enhanced testing parameters for marine fuel batches intended to be delivered as bunkers in the port of Singapore from 1 June. 

In accordance with the MPA’s Port Marine Circular No 3 of 2024, from 1 June 2024 onwards, bunker suppliers in the Port of Singapore must ensure that:

• Residual & bio-residual bunker fuel do not contain Chlorinated Organic Compounds (COC) above 50mg/kg and are free from inorganic acids.
• COC must be tested using the EN 14077 accredited test method and shall be reported in the “Certificate of Quality” (COQ) provided to receiving vessels.
• Inorganic acids must use the ASTM D664 accredited test method as prescribed in ISO 8217 and the Strong Acid Number (SAN) (in addition to the Total Acid Number (TAN) shall be reported in the COQ (i.e. SAN = 0) provided to receiving vessels. For distillate / bio-distillate bunker marine fuel batches, SAN must be tested as per ASTM D664 test method and reported in the COQ.
• Residual marine fuels are free from polystyrene, polypropylene & polymethacrylate. These can be tested by filtration, microscopic examination, & Fourier-Transform Infrared spectroscopy analysis. 

In view of the above, CTI-Maritec shared its insights and recommendations in the paper, titled Insights & Recommendations on Singapore MPA’s Enhanced Testing Parameters for Marine Fuel Batches, related to the testing of COCs, TAN and SAN for all bunker supply in Singapore, and its recommendations for testing Polymers for reported problem cases.

In the conclusion of the whitepaper, CTI-Maritec said the issue of chemical contamination has plagued the bunker industry for years, and the risk of receiving contaminated bunker fuels is likely to persist.

“This is mostly due to complex bunker supply chains, which consists of a network of different stakeholders including refineries, traders, and physical suppliers operating their own barges, with some performing their own fuel blending operation,” it said.

“However, with the imminent enforcement of MPA’s Port Marine Circular No 3 of 2024, the stage is set to raise the bar of the bunkering fuel quality in the Port of Singapore and further support stronger vessel health.”

CTI-Maritec added the new requirements in Singapore could also pave the way for other international Port Authorities to implement the same requirements for their bunker suppliers.

“Furthermore, a key learning from the 2022 incidents is the critical need for bunkering buyers / ship owners / vessels to adopt, as a standard practice, an enhanced fuel testing approach as a pre-emptive measure in securing their vessel’s health,” it added, referring to the bunker contamination incident in Singapore in February 2022, where about 200 ships were supplied with High Sulfur Fuel Oil (HSFO) containing high levels of Chlorinated Organic Compounds (COC) in the Port of Singapore. 

The firm encouraged bunker buyers to consult the bunker suppliers in advance and have proper contractual agreement for the quality of fuel bunkered.

Manifold Times previously reported the move by MPA for enhanced checks for marine fuel delivered at Singapore port receiving largely positive feedback from several local bunker fuel testing agencies including VPS and Intertek.

Related: Singapore: Marine fuel quality testing agencies applaud move for mandatory enhanced bunker fuel tests
Related: Singapore: MPA tightens testing parameters to reduce contaminated bunker fuels
Related: MPA: Glencore and PetroChina supplied contaminated bunkers to about 200 ships in the Port of Singapore

Note: The full copy of CTI-Maritec whitepaper titled ‘Insights & Recommendations on Singapore MPA’s Enhanced Testing Parameters for Marine Fuel Batches’ can be viewed here. 

Photo credit: Louis Reed from Unsplash
Published: 2 April 2024