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Singapore: Straits Marine Services starts vessel sanitisation operations on bunker tanker

A sanitisation expert offers Manifold Times a summary of the processes involved in disinfecting a ship together with the equipment and products used in the operation.

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Omura disinfection ops

Singapore-based ship management services provider Straits Marine Services Pte Ltd (SMS) on Thursday (11 June) performed vessel sanitisation operations on the 4,854 dwt bunker tanker Omura following the recent launch of its vessel disinfecting service.

Manifold Times was onboard the vessel with Capt Tan, Managing Director at SMS, and Ang, among Directors of local disinfection and sanitisation services company Ecom Solution Pte Ltd, to learn about the basics of ship disinfecting operations.

Ang, who said Ecom has been in operation since 2013, gave a summary of the processes involved in sanitising a ship.

“Vessels, such as bunker tankers, have many compartments linked by air ventilation ducts; these present a challenge to the shipowner in maintaining an environment free of contaminants such as virus, bacterial and mould,” he explains.

“As we already know now, SARS-CoV-2 which causes COVID-19 belongs to a group of envelope virus [which include the highly contagious flu virus] that can stay effective for extended periods on surfaces” he notes.

“Hence, we have to focus on treating places which are generally enclosed with frequent touch surfaces such as the bridge or crew accommodation areas. The complete disinfection process can be completed in less than an afternoon, depending on the size of the ship.”

Ecom Solution employed the use of a disinfectant on the vessel’s bridge, passageways, kitchen, mess and crew accommodation area during the operation. The chemical used was a recommended disinfectant which is approved by Singapore’s National Environment Agency (NEA).

According to Ang, there are other solutions that could improve the air quality inside the vessel that can be deployed easily to provide a 24/7 coverage.

SMS is a subsidiary and ship manager for Malaysia-listed bunker player, port operator and investment firm Straits Inter Logistics Berhad (SILB) which owns 11 bunker tankers and a bulk carrier.

“Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, and being the ship manager of a fleet of 12 vessels, one of our major concerns is the safety of our crew and the shore personnel coming onboard the vessel,” said Capt Tan of SMS.

“We have searched around the marine industry and was unable to find any marine specified company providing sanitisation services. Companies engaged in providing cleaning and disinfecting services were land-based and often carry out disinfection services for child care centers, offices and schools.

“Hence, by introducing this service into our company we will be able to provide specified cleaning and disinfecting solutions to our fleet and to the marine industry.”

Related: Straits Marine Services introduces COVID-19 ship sanitisation service for maritime sector

 

Photo credit: Manifold Times
Published: 17 June, 2020

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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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