The Singapore port authority said there were issues with the piping fixtures of the five bunker tankers of Panoil Petroleum, which is an accredited bunker supplier in Singapore. The integrity of the MFMs onboard the vessels remained intact, the port authority pointed out.
The MPA has enforced the use of MFMs for all bunker deliveries conducted within Singapore port waters since 1 January 2017. All bunker tankers need to be equipped with MPA-approved MFMs in order to undertake marine fuel deliveries.
“MPA conducts regular spot checks on bunker tankers. During one of our checks, we found irregularities with the piping fixtures of five bunker tankers,” a MPA spokesperson said.
“All five bunker tankers were operated by Panoil Petroleum. Investigations are currently being carried out and the harbour craft licences of these bunker tankers have been temporarily suspended. During suspension, these bunker tankers will not be allowed to conduct any bunker deliveries, conduct ship-to-ship operations or leave the port of Singapore.”
MPA affirmed that it will continue to monitor the bunker tankers to ensure compliance with requirements set out in the Technical Reference for Bunker Mass Flow Metering (TR48).
“MPA will not hesitate to take action against any bunkering malpractices in the port of Singapore. Any licensee found to have contravened any terms and conditions of the licence will have their licence either suspended or cancelled,” the spokesperson said.
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