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Singapore: Pacific International Lines launches initiatives to enhance efficiency and safety

Opens PIL Centre for Maritime Efficiency, enters MoU with Singapore Polytechnic’s Centre of Excellence in Maritime Safety.

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Pacific International Lines (PIL) on Thursday (14 July) launched two new initiatives to further enhance vessel operational efficiencies and navigation safety.

1) PIL Centre for Maritime Efficiency (CME)

The first initiative launched is the opening of its new Centre for Maritime Efficiency (CME). The key role of CME is to enable PIL to grow its competencies in managing ship and fleet energy-efficiency performance as part of PIL’s commitment to lowering its carbon footprint.

Helmed by a team of seven with extensive seafaring experience and leveraging on digitalisation, the CME’s responsibilities include traffic optimisation and route analysis aimed at minimising energy usage by PIL’s fleet.

The CME will be equipped with a state-of-the-art digital system that houses all relevant operational data and applications in a single platform to facilitate comprehensive, centralised and efficient coordination.

With the new CME, PIL will be able to reap the following benefits:

  • Reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions generated from its operations
  • Enhanced fleet safety and security
  • Maximisation of cost-effectiveness through efficient traffic and route-based management of PIL’s fleet
  • Provision of more training berths for our seafarers and creating a bridge for a ship-to-shore career path

Lars Kastrup, CEO, PIL, said, “The rolling out of this new Centre for Maritime Efficiency is timely as we forge ahead to become a more efficient shipping line committed to reducing our carbon footprint.”

“This is also aligned with our aim to better leverage technology and digitalisation in our operations for enhanced operational effectiveness. At the end of the day, we aim to deliver quality service and good connectivity to our customers, who are increasingly expecting container shipping services to be nimble and flexible to meet their evolving needs.”

2) MoU with the Centre of Excellence in Maritime Safety

With the safety and security of its people as a top priority, PIL is pleased to ink a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Singapore Polytechnic’s Centre of Excellence in Maritime Safety (CEMS) to collaborate on a “Training with Technology” project.

This project aims to leverage the latest technologies to enhance the competency of seafarers in safe navigation through technical and soft skills training. By imparting our future seafarers with soft skills like situational awareness and decision-making skills, the risk of incidents would be greatly reduced.

PIL and CEMS will jointly explore the effectiveness of using immersive, simulation and remote technology to deliver safety-related and ship navigation training in demanding traffic and sea states. The data and knowledge collected from this project will be utilised for research and collaboration between the two partners towards the objective of strengthening the standards of maritime safety.

“PIL is indeed pleased to collaborate with Singapore Polytechnic, a leading institute of higher learning in maritime education and training. We have over 4,000 seafarers working with PIL and their safety, health and wellbeing are of utmost importance to us,” commented Kastrup.

“The long-running pandemic has also made us more cognizant of the crucial role that seafarers play in ensuring the smooth running of the global supply chain. We are confident that this partnership with Singapore Polytechnic will contribute towards strengthening our seafarers’ ability to conduct safe navigation and operations.”

Georgina Phua, Deputy Principal (Development), Singapore Polytechnic, said, “With the maritime industry facing rapid changes led by growing technological developments, there is increasing demand for competent and skilled seafarers who can navigate unpredictable environments with confidence and precision.”

“Through this strategic capability-building partnership, our Centre of Excellence in Maritime Safety (CEMS) will team up with Pacific International Lines to leverage on our combined extensive domain knowledge and expertise in the maritime sector to conduct and deliver meaningful research into technology-enabled navigational and operational safety training for our seafarers.

“By equipping them with the necessary tools, knowledge and autonomous technologies to safely manoeuvre highly volatile conditions, we will raise the standard of maritime safety for the larger maritime community.”

 

Photo credit:  Alexandre Gonçalves da Rocha from Pixabay
Published: 20 July, 2022

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Technology

Singapore: Ofiniti, ONE trial direct platform integration to streamline bunker workflows

Ofiniti started a trial in Singapore, integrating FuelBoss directly with a bunker buyer’s own platform, with Ocean Network Express as its first buyer-side integration partner.

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Singapore: Ofiniti, ONE trial direct platform integration to streamline bunker workflows

Ofiniti, the digital platform for maritime fuel operations, on Tuesday (21 July) said it has started a trial in Singapore, integrating FuelBoss directly with a bunker buyer’s own platform.

The company announced Singapore-headquartered container shipping firm Ocean Network Express (ONE) as its first buyer-side integration partner. 

“It is no coincidence we start in Singapore, as the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) remains at the forefront of digitalisation of all things bunkering,” the company said in a social media post.

In November 2023, MPA launched its digital bunkering platform, becoming the world’s first port to implement e-BDN. 

Ofiniti said every bunker delivery still runs on retyped data. 

“The buyer’s system says one thing, the supplier says another, and someone reconciles the gap by email, phone, or PDF. On every stem,” the company said. 

“We built FuelBoss to change this reality.”

With the integration, operational data now flows without manual re-entry, fewer reconciliation errors and faster processing and data, instead of documents, are readily available for procurement and claims workflows. 

“One connection will not transform the industry on its own, but digitalisation gets built one integration at a time. We are grateful to ONE for being willing to go first,” Ofiniti added.

Manifold Times previously reported ONE completing its successful trial of the electronic Bunker Delivery Note (e-BDN) with Shell. 

The e-BDN trial, using the digital bunkering solution developed by Angsana Technology, was conducted on 9 September 2023 at the Port of Singapore, with support from the MPA.

In March 2025, Ofiniti acquired Singapore-based Angsana Technology, with the entire Angsana team joining Ofiniti as part of the acquisition.

Related: MPA Chief Executive: Port of Singapore begins digital bunkering initiative today
Related: Singapore set to become first port in the world to debut electronic bunker delivery notes
Related: ONE completes e-BDN adoption trial with Shell in Port of Singapore
Related: Ofiniti acquires Singapore-based Angsana Technology to advance digital bunkering solutions

 

Photo credit: Ofiniti
Published: 22 July, 2026

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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.

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RESIZED Sora Shimazaki on Pexels

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.

Related: Singapore: Hin Leong Founder OK Lim gets jail term slashed to 13.5 years

 

Photo credit: Sora Shimazaki
Published: 21 July, 2026

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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.

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RESIZED Drew Beamer

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.

Related: Singapore: Director declares Heng Tong Fuels & Shipping’s inability to continue business
Related: Heng Tong Fuels & Shipping in court over DBS Bank bunker tanker loan
Related: Singapore: Bunker tanker “Coastal Neptune” arrested
Related: Heng Tong Fuels & Shipping, Coastal Logistics tankers enter S&P market

 

Photo credit: Drew Beamer
Published: 21 July, 2026

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