Business

BIMCO ‘concerned’ on IMO suggestion to amend sulphur testing and sampling regulation

New suggestion can cause confusion between the ship, bunker supplier, time charter etc, especially if the testing results turn out to be different, said BIMCO.

Published

6 years ago

November 18, 2020

Admin

Christian Bækmark Schiolborg, Manager, Marine Environment at BIMCO on Monday (16 November) published an article explaining why BIMCO is ‘concerned’ with the proposed procedure for ‘On board sampling’ to be used in determining compliance with sulphur regulations as the International Maritime Organization (IMO) prepares to discuss amendments to MARPOL Annex VI this week:

While shipowners have been focused on the 2020 sulphur regulation which entered into force on 1 January 2020 due to safety concerns, IMO members states have had their eyes on the procedures that control whether ships are carrying low-sulphur fuel oil in accordance with the new regulations.

In connection with the amendments to MARPOL Annex VI a few definitions will come in handy:

In-use sample, defined as the sample of fuel oil in use on a ship. It can for example be drawn from the fuel oil line between the service tank and an auxiliary engine.
On board sample, defined as the sample of fuel oil intended to be used or carried for use on board a ship. It is drawn directly or indirectly from fuel oil tanks.

According to the new regulation, authorities including Port State Control are thus given explicit authority to draw oil samples from the ship’s fuel oil tanks.

BIMCO is concerned with the suggested procedure for ‘On board sampling’ to be used for determining if the ship is in compliance with the sulphur regulation, since the only truly homogenous and representative fuel oil sample is the MARPOL sample (MARPOL delivered sample). The new suggestion could cause confusion and uncertainty between the ship, bunker supplier, time charter and other stakeholders, especially if the testing results turn out to be different, BIMCO believes.

Direct samples drawn through the sounding pipe or the manhole cannot in BIMCO’s view be considered homogenous and representative for the sulphur content in the fuel oil tank. This is recognised (but also disregarded) in the circular on early application of the verification procedures for a MARPOL Annex VI fuel oil sample (MEPC.1/Circ.882 ):

“The in-use or on board fuel oil sample, as appropriate, shall be used to verify the sulphur content of the fuel oil as represented by that sample of fuel oil at the point of sampling.”

This means that a fuel oil sample drawn by PSC is only representative of the fuel oil at the level or point of suction, but not representative of the fuel oil in the tank.

Indirect samples drawn by using the fuel oil transfer pump, cannot be used either, since the sample is not homogenous and representative of the sulphur content in the tank. Since the transfer pump’s suction is placed in the bottom of the fuel tank, BIMCO fears that such samples would show wrong results even if the sulphur content of the fuel oil is actually compliant.

This leads to the fact that the only fuel sample truly homogenous and representative of the sulphur content that is available today, is the MARPOL sample because it is drawn over the entire bunker operation.

Safety concerns in case of direct sampling from fuel oil tanks

A normal fuel oil tank only has two openings, the manhole, for inspection when the tank is empty, and the sounding pipe. Fuel oil tanks on existing ships are not constructed with designated sampling points.

The manhole should never be opened while there is fuel oil inside the tank. Fuel oils are stored at high temperatures and it is consequently unsafe for the people taking the sample.

The MARPOL (delivered) sample is still essential

The statutory fuel verification procedure for MARPOL Annex VI fuel oil samples is being updated to include the new fuel oil samples and making the text of the circular on early application of the verification procedures for a MARPOL Annex VI fuel oil sample mandatory.

More information can be found here interpretation of the discord between MARPOL and commercial fuel samples.

Compared to the current verification procedure, MARPOL (delivered) samples will in the future be tested without taking the Reproducibility (R) of the test method into consideration. This means there will be no test margin and thus, the test result of a MARPOL sample (average of two tests by the same laboratory) must not exceed 0.50% m/m sulphur.

For ‘In-use’ and ‘On board’ samples, the Reproducibility (R) of the test method, in accordance with ISO 4259-2:2017, should be taken into consideration when assessing whether the test result is acceptable or not. This means that the test result, from the fuel oil samples drawn by PSC, shall be considered acceptable if the sulphur content does not exceed 0.53%.

This small but essential difference between the verification procedure for MARPOL samples and samples drawn by PSC was agreed by IMO deliberately. The difference is intended to ensure that ships are not unfairly penalised for marginal exceedances due to factors outside the ship’s control. Time will show if this is sufficient to avoid that different conclusions are drawn from the different types of samples.

In the end we should not forget that it is still the responsibility of the supplier to deliver fuel oil which is compliant with the statutory sulphur content limits i.e. 0.50% or 0.10% m/m.

Photo credit: International Maritime Organisation
Source: BIMCO
Published: 18 November, 2020

Winding up

Singapore: Liquidators of East Marine Pte Ltd issues notice of annual meeting

Annual meeting of the company and its creditors will be held at 8 Wilkie Road, #03-08 Wilkie Edge, Singapore 228095 via audio-visual conference on 20 August at 11am.

Published

23 hours ago

August 12, 2026

Admin

A notice of annual meeting was issued by liquidators of East Marine Pte Ltd, which is in creditor’s voluntary liquidation, on the Government Gazette on Friday (7 August).

According to the notice, the annual meeting of the company and its creditors will be held at 8 Wilkie Road, #03-08 Wilkie Edge, Singapore 228095 via audio-visual conference on 20 August at 11am.

The purpose of the meeting is to have an account laid before the meeting showing the acts and dealings of the liquidators and the conduct of the winding up in the preceding year.

The following are the details of the liquidators:

Ng Kian Kiat
Yap Hui Li
Liquidators
c/o 8 Wilkie Road
#03-08 Wilkie Edge
Singapore 228095

Photo credit: steve pb from Pixabay
Published: 12 August, 2026

Winding up

Singapore: Annual and final meetings to be held for Asia-Pacific Shipyard Pte Ltd

Annual meeting and the final meeting of the company and its creditors will be held at 8 Wilkie Road, #03-08 Wilkie Edge, Singapore 228095 via audio-visual conference on 9 September.

Published

23 hours ago

August 12, 2026

Admin

A notice of annual meeting and final meeting was issued by liquidators of Asia-Pacific Shipyard Pte Ltd, which is in creditor’s voluntary liquidation, on the Government Gazette on Friday (7 August).

According to the notice, the annual meeting and the final meeting of the company and its creditors will be held at 8 Wilkie Road, #03-08 Wilkie Edge, Singapore 228095 via audio-visual conference on 9 September.

The annual meeting will be held at 2pm while the final meeting will be held at 3pm.

The purpose of the meeting is to have an account laid before the meeting showing the acts and dealings of the liquidators and the conduct of the winding up in the preceding year and the manner in which the winding up has been conducted and the property of the company has been disposed of and hearing any explanation that may be given by the liquidators.

The following are the details of the liquidators:

Ng Kian Kiat
Yap Hui Li
Liquidators
c/o 8 Wilkie Road
#03-08 Wilkie Edge
Singapore 228095

Photo credit: Drew Beamer
Published: 12 August, 2026

Bunker Fuel

JLC China Bunker Fuel Market Monthly Report (July 2026)

China’s bonded bunker fuel sales dropped in July, as typhoons hindered port operation in East and South China and bonded bunker fuel supply tightened in northern ports.

Published

23 hours ago

August 12, 2026

Admin

JLC China Bunker Fuel Market Monthly Report (July 2026)

Beijing-based commodity market information provider JLC Network Technology Co. recently shared its JLC China Bunker monthly report for July 2026 with Manifold Times through an exclusive arrangement:

China’s bonded bunker fuel sales drop in July

China’s bonded bunker fuel sales dropped in July, as typhoons hindered port operation in East and South China and bonded bunker fuel supply tightened in northern ports. Meanwhile, some shipowners became more cautious about bunkering when geopolitical tensions persisted.

China sold about 1.78 million mt of bonded bunker fuel in the month, with the daily sales at 57,503 mt, down by 10.12% month on month, JLC’s data shows.

Regarding the sales by supplier, the sales by Chimbusco, Sinopec (Zhoushan), SinoBunker, and China Changjiang Bunker (Sinopec) respectively settled at 380,000 mt, 600,000 mt, 60,000 mt, and 10,000 mt in the month, while those by suppliers with regional bunkering licenses settled at 732,600 mt.

China’s LSFO output retreats in July

China’s low-sulfur fuel oil (LSFO) output retreated in July , as refineries lacked production enthusiasm when their margins weakened.

Chinese refiners produced about 1.29 million mt of LSFO in the month, with the daily output at 41,613 mt, down by 4.48% month on month, JLC’s data shows.

Specifically, Sinopec witnessed an obvious decline in its output. ZhongKe (Guangdong) Refinery & Petrochemical lowered its output amid unit maintenance. Qingdao Petrochemical also cut its output, but it was still high. By contrast, Shengli Petrochemical boosted its production.

Meanwhile, CNOOC’s LSFO output slid in July , with T aizhou Petrochemical suspending production.

Zhoushan Petrochemical and Huizhou Refinery maintained stable production, while Zhongjie Petrochemical did not produce any LSFO in the month.

On the other hand, PetroChina recorded an increase in its LSFO output, with Dalian WEPEC, Jinzhou Petrochemical, Jinxi Petrochemical, Huabei (North China) Petrochemical, and Dagang Petrochemical raising output.

ZPC and Sinochem did not produce any LSFO in the month, but the latter produced and exported 10,000 mt of MGO.

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Domestic-trade bunker fuel demand shrinks in July

Domestic-trade heavy bunker fuel demand shrank in July when inland and coastal shipping was seasonally weak.

The demand settled at 300,000 mt in July, with the daily demand at 9,677 mt, slipping by 6.35% month on month, JLC’s data shows.

Shipowners just made deals for rigid demand, with a strong wait-and-see attitude and no intention of stockpiling.

Meanwhile, domestic-trade light bunker fuel demand settled at 140,000 mt in the month, with the daily volume at 4,516 mt, down by 9.68% month on month, the data shows. The decline was mainly due to the bad impact of continuous typhoons.

Bunker Fuel Supply

China’s bonded bunker fuel imports rebound in June

China’s bonded bunker fuel imports rebounded in June, after hitting a 16-month low in the previous month.

The country imported 515,300 mt of bonded bunker fuel in the month, soaring by 86.77% month on month, calculations show, based on data from the General Administration of Customs of PRC (GACC).

Bonded bunker suppliers boosted their purchases of imported high-sulfur fuel oil (HSFO) as premiums retreated amid easing conflicts between the U.S. and Iran. Meanwhile, downstream HSFO bunkering demand was relatively good, which also aroused suppliers’ import interest.

The arrivals of imported marine gas oil (MGO) also increased in June.

However, these bunker suppliers did not import any LSFO in the month, given sufficient domestic supply.

On a year-on-year comparison, China’s bonded bunker fuel imports declined by 5.50% in June.

Regarding the imports by source, Russia was still the largest supplier with 305,300 mt, accounting for 59.24% of China’s total imports. South Korea climbed to the second place with 120,700 mt, accounting for 23.43%, while Malaysia slipped to the third place with 89,300 mt, accounting for 17.33%.

China’s bonded bunker fuel imports totaled 3.38 million mt in the first half of this year, an increase of 5.54% from the same period of time in 2025, calculations also indicate.

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Domestic-trade bunker fuel supply tightens further in July

Chinese blenders supplied 270,000 mt of domestic-trade heavy bunker fuel in July , with the daily supply at 8,710 mt, a decline of 9.90% month on month, JLC’s data shows.

Low-sulfur residual oil supply continued to tighten despite restarts of some refineries, which forced blenders to cut their bunker fuel production. Meanwhile, supply of consumption-tax-included bunker fuel decreased with tax inspections becoming regular.

In the meantime, domestic-trade MGO supply settled at 170,000 mt, with the daily supply at 5,484 mt, down by 8.60% from a month earlier, the data shows.

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Bunker Prices, Profits

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Editor
Yvette Luo
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Sales (Beijing)
Tony Tang
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Sales (Singapore)
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JLC Network Technology Co., Ltd is recognised as the leading information provider in China. We specialise in providing the transparent, high-value, authoritative market intelligence and professional analysis in commodity market. Our expertise covers oil, gas, coal, chemical, plastic, rubber, fertilizer and metal industry, etc.

JLC China Bunker Fuel Market Monthly Report is published by JLC Network Technology Co., Ltd every month on China bunker market, demand, supply, margin, freight index, forecast and so on. The report provides full-scale & concise insight into China bunker oil market.

Note: China-based commodity market information provider JLC Technology has been providing Singapore bunkering publication Manifold Times China bunker volume data since 2020. Data from earlier periods are available here.

Photo credit: JLC Network Technology
Published: 12 August, 2026