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Singapore: Selected suppliers have allegedly removed Clause 5 in bunker sales contracts

Shipowners and bunker buyers are advised to do due diligence on current bunker sales contracts.

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Selected suppliers of marine fuel in the Singapore bunkering industry have allegedly removed certain sections of Clause 5 under of ISO 8217 specifications of marine fuels within their bunker sales contracts, sources tell Manifold Times.

Clause 5 of ISO 8217:2017, which offers guidance on ‘General requirements’ of marine fuel, states the product “shall be free from any material at a concentration that causes the fuel to be unacceptable for use” together with other considerations.

“Some suppliers are quoting their price and excluding Clause 5 of the ISO 8217 as they just want to avoid being claimed for contaminants in fuels,” says a trader, declining to reveal names of the suppliers due to commercial and sensitivity issues.

“Awareness of this issue needs to be created for shipowners and bunker buyers.”

Another player, meanwhile, says SS 600, SS 524, TR 48 and licensing agreements between the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and bunker suppliers already cover ISO 8217 specifications.

“There will no issue as long as parties [the bunker supplier and bunker buyer] agree to the changes,” he informs.

“However, if the bunker supplier unilaterally does not want to guarantee certain clauses in ISO 8217 bunker buyers can have the option to opt out of the contract.

“It will be prudent for bunker suppliers, if they chose to opt out of any of the ISO 8217 Clauses, to inform bunker buyers before bunkers are stemmed to avoid confusion.

“On the other hand, as a bunker supplier, if they choose not to guarantee the full spectrum of the ISO 8217 it can only show the weakness of this bunker supplier in his own product.

“This is just the tip of the iceberg as in 2020 a lot of blended bunker fuels will enter the marine market.”

The alleged removal of Clause 5 from bunker contracts was unsurprising considering recent developments within the Singapore marine fuels market, notes a source.

“Bunker suppliers usually receive cargoes from cargo sources and perform a service to transport fuel from terminals to receiving vessels,” he shares.

“Bunker suppliers are caught in between as most are not in control of the cargoes they carry.
“The perspective of who is guilty depends on which side of the supply chain one stands, even though suppliers are also responsible for ensuring the quality of their product.

“If I were the physical supplier I will not like to carry this burden as well as damages can be quite significant. I will take steps to mitigate risk exposed to my organisation.”

Related: INSIGHT: Review of SS524 could protect bunker suppliers from off-spec issues
Related: INSIGHT: Off-spec issues reveal 'missing piece' of Singapore bunker supply chain
Related: IBAS faces $2.15 million lawsuit over contaminated bunkers
Related: IBIA takes stand on contaminated bunker fuels
Related: Legal comment: Bunker contamination in the U.S. Gulf

Published: 8 August, 2018
 

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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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LNG Bunkering

PIL’s LNG dual-fuel boxship “Kota Elok” arrives in Singapore on maiden call

As the first of 13 new 13,000 TEU vessels joining its fleet, Kota Elok is equipped to operate on LNG and low-sulphur fuel oil that helps reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

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PIL's LNG dual-fuel boxship “Kota Elok” arrives in Singapore on maiden call

Singapore-based Pacific International Lines Pte Ltd on Monday (20 July) said its first 13,000 TEU LNG dual-fuel container vessel, Kota Elok, recently made her maiden call to Singapore on 15 July.

As the first of 13 new 13,000 TEU vessels joining its fleet, Kota Elok is equipped to operate on liquefied natural gas (LNG) and low-sulphur fuel oil that helps reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. 

The vessel also incorporated energy-saving features and digital technologies to reduce fuel consumption and enhance operational performance, as well as a bow windshield to improve aerodynamics, contributing to improved fuel efficiency and lower emissions over the course of long-haul voyages.

“Following Singapore, Kota Elok will continue her voyage on our East Coast Service 1 (ES1) route to South America, calling at ports in Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina before returning to Asia,” the company said in a social media post. 

Kota Elok also became PIL’s first vessel to receive Lloyd’s Register certification for compliance with the IACS UR E26 and UR E27 cyber security requirements.

Developed by the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS), UR E26 and UR E27 are mandatory cyber resilience requirements for newbuild vessels contracted from 1 July 2024. 

 

Photo credit: Pacific International Lines
Published: 21 July, 2026

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