The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) on Friday (27 October) issued Port Marine Circular No 12 of 2023 which outlines guidelines for the use of digital bunkering service for the bunker supplier, bunker craft operator and the vessel receiving bunkers as well as a sample of electronic bunker delivery note (eBDN) issued in Singapore: 

DIGITAL BUNKERING 

This circular serves to inform the community that digital bunkering will commence in the Port of Singapore from 1st November 2023. From 1st November 2023, bunker suppliers can start issuing electronic bunker delivery note (eBDN) and bunkering documentation required under the Singapore Standard (SS 648 – Code of practice for bunker mass flow metering) through the digital bunkering solutions whitelisted by MPA. Please refer to Annex A for a sample eBDN issued in Singapore (for illustration purposes only).

MPA has whitelisted the digital bunkering solutions to ensure conformance to bunkering standards, cybersecurity, baseline functionality, risk management and regulatory reporting requirements. The list of whitelisted solutions is published on MPA website (link) and will be progressively updated as new digital bunkering solutions become available. 

MPA will require all bunkering operations in Singapore to go digital (i.e., use electronic processes and documentation) after this initial period, which will be announced at a later date. As such all MPA licenced bunker suppliers and craft operators are strongly encouraged to adopt digital bunkering at the earliest possible, for the familiarisation of the cargo officers and crew. Please see Annex B which provides the guidelines for the use of digital bunkering service for the bunker supplier, bunker craft operator and the vessel receiving bunkers. 

The adoption of digital bunkering will increase efficiency of bunkering operations in the Port of Singapore. The MPA will continue to explore and work with the industry on other enhancements, including automating the data flow from Mass Flow Meters.

 Should you have any queries, please write to us at [email protected] or [email protected].

SAMPLE ELECTRONIC BUNKER DELIVERY NOTE

• Security features include: (1) locked to protect from edits, (2) QR code for manual verification, and (3) electronic verification via a verification facility.
• The eBDN also contains an attachment with machine readable/ interpretable data file, conforming to standardised formats and semantics, to enable interoperability by different IT systems.

GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR BUNKER SUPPLIERS & BUNKER CRAFT OPERATORS

For a smooth and efficient transition into digital bunkering, bunker suppliers and bunker craft operators should adopt the following measures:

I. Equip the barges with reliable internet connection on board, e.g., 5G/4G/LTE antenna, Satcomm, etc. The barges may also share their Wi-Fi hotspot with the receiving vessel if required.

II. Provide sufficient training for the cargo officer. i.e., usage of the whitelisted digital bunkering solution(s) to complete the bunkering workflow and documentation electronically.

III. Inform the customer, Master / Owner of the receiving vessel and surveyor, if engaged, in advance on the issuance of bunkering documentations electronically. This is to provide sufficient time for the receiving vessel to access the domain/URL(s) and receive emails with hyperlinks from whitelisted digital bunkering solution(s), and also prepare their electronic vessel/ company stamp.

IV. A user manual should be prepared and provided to the crew of the vessel receiving bunkers to explain the use of the digital platform smoothly.

GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR VESSELS RECEIVING BUNKER

The receiving vessel should adopt the following measures:

I. Corporate ICT Policy

a. Whitelist the domain/URL(s) and email sender to allow access to the digital bunkering solution(s), and prepare the electronic vessel stamp in advance for uploading.

b. Provide the Chief Engineer a device/computer with internet access during the port stay in Singapore.

II. Infrastructure and network

a. Provide reliable network on-board, e.g., subscribe to satellite communications packages with good max-info-rate and committed-info-rate, backup satellite communications, 4G/5G coastal plans, etc. Alternatively, the receiving vessel may also request to tap on Wi-Fi hotspot if available, from the bunker

barge’s representative or bunker surveyor (if engaged).

b. Carry out technology updates to ensure periodic refresh of IT assets, equipment and infrastructure. c. Ensure that the web browsers are up to date and security patched. 

d. IT system maintenance to be planned to minimise disruption of transmission during the bunkering operation, as it could impact smooth transmission of data and documents between the bunker barge and the vessel receiving the bunkers. 

III. Human factors 

a. Brief the Chief Engineer/ ship’s crew on digital bunkering system processes and issuance of bunkering documentations electronically in Singapore.

Photo credit: Manifold Times
Published: 27 October, 2023