Business

Two 3,500 tonne oil spill response barges completed in Singapore for WCMRC

Western Canada Marine Response Corporation will receive delivery of barges in October, with arrival in Canada by the end of 2022, says Robert Allan Ltd.

Published

4 years ago

November 1, 2022

Admin

Robert Allan Ltd., an independent, privately-owned firm of consulting naval architects and marine engineers, on Wednesday (26 October) said two 3,500 tonne oil spill response barges – Sentinel 303 and Sentinel 304 – were recently completed at ASL Shipyard in Singapore.

Western Canada Marine Response Corporation (WCMRC), the Transport Canada-certified marine spill response organisation for Canada’s West Coast, will receive delivery of the barges in October, with arrival in Canada by the end of 2022.

The response barges will join WCMRC’s fleet of pollution response vessels stationed along the south coast of British Columbia. These new additions represent a significant enhancement to the pollution response capabilities already in place and will benefit the entire local maritime industry.

Key particulars of the response barges are:

Length, overall: 76.0 m
Beam, moulded: 20.0 m
Depth, least moulded: 6.4 m
Maximum draft (navigational): 4.6 m
Gross Tonnage: 2822

The response barges were constructed to ABS rules with the following notation:

A1 OIL SPILL RECOVERY BARGE (OSR-S2), UWILD, UNRESTRICTED SERVICE

Tank capacities of the response barges are:

Recovered oil: 3,785 m3
Fuel oil: 125 m3
Potable water: 150 m3
Sewage tank: 100 m3
Grey water: 100 m3

Accommodations are outfitted to high, MLC compliant standards for a crew of up to 20 personnel. The ten double crew cabins are located on the accommodation deck with, the galley, mess/lounge, and office/control room located on the fo’c’sle deck.

Two 3,5000 tonne oil spill response barges completed in Singapore for WCMRC

The electrical plant comprises four (4) identical Caterpillar C4.4 diesel gensets each with a power output of 118 ekW.

The aft deck is the main working deck and contains all the oil spill response equipment. The spill containment systems consist of four unsheltered booms stored in containers with hydraulic reels, Current Buster No. 4 and Current Buster No. 6 stored in a single container with hydraulic reels, and four containers of general-purpose boom. There is ample storage for absorbents, mission-specific containers, general equipment, decontamination gear, dry storage, and a containerized workspace.

Two small vessel docks are stored onboard and can be deployed on port and starboard sides to allow other response vessel crews to embark/disembark to/from the response barges and facilitates the transfer of recovered oil from the response vessels to the response barge. A Desmi Terminator skimmer and hose reel allows the response barges to recover oil floating on the surface. Two mini storage barges are stowed on deck and can be deployed in the field to aid in the response.

A Norcrane fixed-boom crane with a SWL of 9 tonnes at 19 metres is fitted aft to handle the above-mentioned oil spill response gear and hoses.

Photo credit: Robert Allan Ltd.
Published: 1 November, 2022

Legal

Shell Singapore charged over Pulau Bukom oil leaks, reporting delays

Shell faces four charges under Singapore’s Prevention of Pollution of the Sea Act over two 2024 oil discharge incidents at its Pulau Bukom facility.

Published

1 day ago

September 25, 2026

Admin

2 MPA craft (left) supporting Shell craft in the clean up operations of the oil sheens taken on 28 Dec 9am

Shell Singapore has been charged over two incidents in 2024 involving oily mixtures discharged into Singapore waters from its facilities at Pulau Bukom, according to media reports on Tuesday (22 September).

The company faces four charges under the Prevention of Pollution of the Sea Act, including allegations that it failed to report the discharges to the port master immediately.

The first incident occurred on 20 October 2024, when approximately 40 metric tonnes (mt) of oily mixture was discharged through a hole in a pipeline at the Shell Singapore Energy and Chemicals Park at about 8am.

Shell is accused of reporting the incident to the port master at about 12.55pm, several hours after the discharge occurred.

The second incident took place between 26 and 28 December 2024. An estimated 485kg to 956kg of oil mixture was discharged into Singapore waters from the same facility.

Shell is accused of failing to report the incident immediately, with notification to the port master made at about 11.50am on 26 December 2024, according to the charges.

Singapore’s pollution-prevention regulations require occupiers of such facilities to report oil or oily-mixture discharges into Singapore waters “without delay and to the fullest extent possible”.

Shell’s representative requested an eight-week adjournment at the 22 September hearing, citing the need to obtain internal instructions, appoint counsel and locate historical records. The company said the business associated with the incidents had been divested in 2025.

The case was adjourned to October. Shell is also facing prosecution by Singapore’s National Environment Agency over the same incidents.

Photo credit: Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore
Published: 25 September, 2026

Incident

MPA probes Singapore Strait collision involving fishing vessel, bulk carrier

MPA says there were no reported injuries among the crew of either vessel in the incident involving China-registered fishing vessel “Lu Qing Yuan Yu” and Panama-registered bulk carrier “First Margaux” .

Published

1 day ago

September 25, 2026

Admin

Panama-registered bulk carrier “First Margaux”

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) on Tuesday (22 September) said it is investigating the incident involving the China-registered fishing vessel Lu Qing Yuan Yu and the Panama-registered bulk carrier First Margaux in the Singapore Strait on 17 September.

MPA said there were no reported injuries among the crew of either vessel or pollution arising from the incident and navigational traffic was not affected.

Videos circulating on social media showed the bulk carrier colliding with the fishing vessel.

“The fishing vessel took on water during the incident but remained afloat and stable, with the crew taking measures to manage the situation onboard,” MPA said.

The vessel was subsequently towed to Raffles Reserved Anchorage for assessment.

Essential crew remained onboard to support the tow, while the Singapore Civil Defence Force supported the transfer of other crew to shore.

MPA added it also issued navigational safety broadcasts to keep other vessels clear of the tow and escorted the vessel into port with a MPA craft.

Photo credit: MarineTraffic / Arnold Pohen
Published: 25 September, 2026

Mass Flowmeter

TFG Marine deploys first MFM-equipped bunker barge in Jamaica

Bunker barge “Kingston Trader” is currently on its way to Jamaica following the successful installation of a Coriolis mass flow meter (MFM) system, certified to ISO 22192.

Published

1 day ago

September 25, 2026

Admin

TFG Marine deploys first MFM-equipped bunker barge in Jamaica

Global marine fuel supply and procurement firm TFG Marine on Thursday (24 September) said its bunker barge Kingston Trader is currently on its way to Jamaica following the successful installation of a Coriolis mass flow meter (MFM) system, certified to ISO 22192.

The company said the latest installation brings the proportion of TFG Marine’s fleet equipped with MFMs to approximately 88%, marking another step in the continued rollout of this technology across its global bunkering operations.

“The barge will operate in Jamaica through our local partnership with Scott Petroleum, becoming the first bunkering vessel in the region equipped with this technology and bringing greater accuracy, transparency and assurance to fuel measurement for customers across the Caribbean,” TFG Marine said in a social media post.

“Together with Scott Petroleum, we look forward to working collaboratively with the Maritime Authority of Jamaica, the The Port Authority of Jamaica, Petrojam Limited and other stakeholders to share our experience of MFM technology, explore its wider benefits and support the continued development of bunkering standards across the region.”

Manifold Times previously reported TFG Marine continuing to expand MFM technology across its US Gulf Coast bunker fleet with Buffalo B414 and Buffalo B304 being fitted with the equipment.

Last year, TFG Marine announced it reached a key milestone in its global digitalisation programme with the installation of an ISO 22192-compliant MFM on the Buffalo 404, a barge on time charter from American bunker barge company Buffalo Marine Service Inc.

The installation was part of TFG Marine’s wider strategy to equip close to 90% of its global bunkering fleet with MFMs by 2026 as a commitment towards improving data integrity, streamlining operations and strengthening trust in marine fuel transactions.

Photo credit: TFG Marine
Published: 25 September, 2026