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Brightoil faces $161 million claim from China Petroleum Pipeline Engineering

The litigation at a Zhoushan City court was among other developments highlighted in a quarterly update.

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Hong Kong-listed oil, shipping and bunkering firm Brightoil Petroleum (Holdings) Limited on Friday (1 November) issued an update on its resumption progress and business operations for the third quarter (Q3) of 2019 ended 30 September.

Among Q3 2019 developments were a USD 160.57 million litigation at the Intermediate People's Court of Zhoushan City and sharing of the company’s future business direction, on top of the updates.

Litigation of Brightoil Petroleum Storage (Zhoushan) Co., Ltd. and Shenzhen Brightoil Group Co., Ltd.

Brightoil Petroleum Storage (Zhoushan) Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Brightoil, and Shenzhen Brightoil Group Co., Ltd., a guarantor of the former’s construction contracts, have been named as defendants in a lawsuit at the Intermediate People's Court of Zhoushan City, Zhejiang Province on 16 August 2019.

China Petroleum Pipeline Engineering Co., Ltd. and China Petroleum Pipeline Engineering Co., Ltd., Third Engineering Branch are the plaintiffs of the lawsuit over disputes of construction contracts.

The plaintiffs are claiming for outstanding construction costs, interests, loss and legal costs under the termination of certain constructions contracts related the building and construction of the Zhoushan Waidiao Island Brightoil Storage and Transportation Base for an aggregate sum of approximately RMB1,130 million (USD 160.57 million).

“The Company has entrusted a Chinese law firm to represent the Company on the litigation and has obtained positive legal advice, especially in response to the unreasonable compensation request,” stated Brightoil.

“The Company will take all necessary actions to protect the Company’s rights and interests. At the same time, the Company and the Plaintiffs had already conducted several rounds of discussion in order to strive to reach a settlement of the legal action as soon as possible.”

Upstream business – the primary focus of business in the future

Brightoil, meanwhile, said its Caofeidian oilfield is expected to complete the annual production target 40 days ahead of schedule. From January to September, the crude oil output was 8.24 million barrels, or 81.1% of the annual plan.

At the same time, it notes the construction costs for the Caofeidian oilfield to be approximately RMB 2,423 million, which is approximately RMB 500 million below the approved budget of RMB 2923 million.

In Q3 2019, the daily natural gas production of the Dina 1 and Tuzi gas field was 3.14 million cubic meters. The preparatory work for Tuzi gas field booster station and Dina 1-4 new well has begun, and the booster station is expected to be completed in October 2020.

“The management expects that the upstream business will be the primary focus of the Company’s development in the future,” it states.

Resumption progress on HKSE

Brightoil noted it has switched its independent forensic accountant, replacing KPMG Services Pte. Ltd. with RSM Corporate Advisory (Hong Kong) Limited on 27 August 2019 “primarily due to geographic concerns”.

It has also appointed RSM Consulting (Hong Kong) Limited as its internal control adviser on 21 October 2019 to review the internal control policies and procedures.

The company’s auditor, PricewaterhouseCoopers, has meanwhile commenced audit work on the Group’s outstanding financial results. It is expected that the preliminary results will be available in December 2019.

Yu Ming Investment Management Limited, Brightoil’s appointed financial adviser in Q3 2019, has started on formulating a plan to satisfy the Resumption Conditions and resume trading in the company’s shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

International Trading and Bunkering

Brightoil noted of “no significant amount of revenue” generated by its International Trading and Bunkering Unit in Q3 2019 due to credited being tightened by banks.

Marine Transportation

Out of the fifteen vessels in the fleet, fourteen of the arrested vessels have been sold by auction to date:

Sales by the High Court of Singapore
 

Ship’s Name Sale Date Price
Brightoil 319 2 October SGD 6,155,000
Brightoil 326 SGD 5,955,000
Brightoil 329 SGD 6,182,000
Brightoil 639 9 October SGD 10,005,000
Brightoil 666 SGD 10,225,800
Brightoil 688 SGD 3,933,000

Sales by the High Court of Hong Kong
 

Ship’s Name Sale Date Price
Brightoil Galaxy 21 October USD 61,501,023.44
Brightoil League USD 22,357,788.20
Brightoil Legend USD 22,229,759.70
Brightoil Lucky USD 22,363,371.30

The Brightoil Gem, the last remaining VLCC that is under arrest in China, is scheduled to be auctioned by the Haikou Maritime Court on 19-20 November 2019.

All proceeds from auction sales are expected to be used to settle the debts of Brightoil Singapore (S’pore) Pte. Ltd. BOPS and Brightoil after repayment of the vessel-related debts and liabilities, stated the company.

Potential debt restructuring and winding-up petitions

The Brightoil Petroleum (S’pore) Pte. Ltd. moratorium has now been extended until 30 January 2020; the next hearing date has not yet been fixed but is expected to take place in mid-January 2020.

On top of a settlement reached with Petco Trading Labuan Company Ltd and Brightoil on 7 August 2019, the company has also entered into settlement agreements with other key creditors and obtained commitment letters from several creditors showing support for its debt restructuring efforts.

Intended sale of Zhoushan Oil Storage and Terminal Facilities

Talks with “potential investors” for the intended sale of Brightoil’s assets at Zhoushan are still on-going in Q3 2019, notes Brightoil.

A chronologically organised list of articles concerning Brightoil’s potential debt reorganization is below:

Related: Brightoil bunker tankers “688”, “666”, “639” sold to new owners
RelatedBrightoil bunker tanker trio “329”, “326”, “319” bought by Singapore firms
RelatedBrightoil bunker tankers “688”, “666”, “639” undergo Singapore court auction
RelatedSingapore: Brightoil bunker tanker trio “329”, “326”, “319” up for sale
RelatedVLCC “Brightoil Gem” held under auction by Haikou Maritime Court
RelatedSingapore: Brightoil bunker tanker trio “329”, “326”, “319” up for sale
RelatedHong Kong: Brightoil reaches settlement with Petco Trading Labuan
RelatedBrightoil: Third quarter update on business ops and resumption process
RelatedBrightoil provides updates on winding up petitions at SG, HK courts
RelatedBrightoil: Independent non-executive Directors leave over audit review
RelatedBrightoil issues update on winding-up petition and sale of vessels
RelatedDr Sit Kwong Lam returns to Brightoil as Strategic Adviser
RelatedBrightoil Petroleum announces new Chairman and acting CEO
RelatedBrightoil former Chairman undertook $1.4 billion in personal guarantees
RelatedOfficial: Dr Sit Kwong Lam leaves Brightoil Petroleum Holdings
RelatedHong Kong High Court issues bankruptcy order against Brightoil Chairman
RelatedBrightoil aggregate debt has reached approximately $1.9 billion, it updates
RelatedBrightoil creditor claims amount to US $250 million, potential debt reorganisation
RelatedBrightoil to defend against winding up petition at Hong Kong court
RelatedSingapore: Brightoil to apply for six-month moratorium order at High Court
RelatedBrightoil oilfield project secures USD $700 million CNOOC funding
RelatedBrightoil: Plans to sell Zhoushan oil storage terminal, 15 vessels
RelatedShell to offload crude oil cargo from arrested “Brightoil Lion” tanker
RelatedBrightoil VLCC and Aframax tanker arrested at Singapore port
RelatedSingapore: Players to get fuel oil cargoes back from Brightoil bunker tankers
RelatedSingapore: Petrolimex v Brightoil case progresses to Pre Trial Conference
RelatedSingapore: Brightoil bunker creditor list growing with new firms
RelatedSingapore: Petrolimex owed over USD $30 million by Brightoil
RelatedBrightoil signals return to the shipping sector, starts reorganisation of debt
RelatedSingapore: Brightoil bunker tanker fleet placed under Sheriff’s arrest
RelatedSingapore: Toyota Tsusho Corporation seeking $21 million from Brightoil
RelatedQatar National Bank seeks USD $21.59 million debt from Brightoil

Photo credit: Brightoil
Published: 4 November, 2019
 

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Winding up

Singapore: Liquidator of Da Xin Tankers, Nan Chiau Maritime issues notices of dividend

Da Xin Tankers’s second interim dividend and Nan Chiau Maritime’s third interim dividend are payable from 17 September, according to Government Gazette notices.

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Notices of dividend for Da Xin Tankers Pte Ltd and Nan Chiau Maritime Pte Ltd, which are currently in creditors’ voluntary liquidation, were published on the Government Gazette on Thursday (17 September). 

The following are the details of the notice for Da Xin Tankers:

Name of Company : Da Xin Tankers (Pte) Ltd (In Creditor’s Voluntary Liquidation)
Unique Entity No. / Registration No. : 198400895W
Address of Registered Office : c/o Grant Thornton Singapore Private Limited, 8 Marina View, #40-04/05 Asia Square Tower 1, Singapore 018960
Amount per centum (US$) : 5.00 cents to a dollar of admitted unsecured claims
First and Final or otherwise : Second Interim Dividend
When payable : 17 September 2026
Where payable : Entitlements will be made either by way of telegraphic transfer or by cheque, to be collected from the Company’s registered address as above

The following are the details of the notice for Nan Chiau Maritime:

Name of Company : Nan Chiau Maritime (Pte.) Ltd. (In Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidation)
Unique Entity No. / Registration No.: 200814296Z
Address of Registered Office : c/o Grant Thornton Singapore Private Limited, 8 Marina View, #40-04/05 Asia Square Tower 1, Singapore 018960
Amount per centum (US$) : 7.00 cents to a dollar of admitted unsecured claims
First and Final or otherwise : Third Interim Dividend
When payable : 17 September 2026
Where payable : Entitlements will be made either by way of telegraphic transfer or by cheque, to be collected from the Company’s registered address as above.

 

Photo credit: Benjamin Child
Published: 18 September, 2026

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Alternative Fuels

GCMD, BCG: Engine choices today to shape shipping’s fuel pathways through 2050

New fuels could reach around 60% of fleet energy consumption under a sufficiently strong carbon price signal, modelled at USD 700/tCO2e by 2050.

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GCMD, BCG: Engine choices today to shape shipping’s fuel pathways through 2050

With vessels operating for 25 to 30 years and only around 4% of the fleet renewed annually, newbuild decisions made over the coming decade will establish much of the engine capacity available in 2050, Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation said on Thursday (17 September). 

Yet having the capacity to consume a new fuel does not guarantee its uptake. Dual-fuel engines allow shipowners to switch between conventional fuels and the selected new fuel as economics and regulations evolve; continued fuel competitiveness is therefore critical to what vessels ultimately consume.

These are among the findings of Navigating the maritime fuel transition: How fuel economics, regulations, and fleet decisions shape the future bunkering landscape, based on a model jointly developed by the GCMD and Boston Consulting Group (BCG).

The model illustrates this dynamic in its base scenario. With the Tier-2 penalty under the IMO Net-Zero Framework held at USD 380/tCO2e through 2050, methanol dual-fuel engines account for around 10% of fleet engine capacity in 2050, but methanol represents just 2% of fleet energy consumption. With conventional fuels remaining more economical under this regulatory regime, methanol dual-fuel vessels continue to operate on fuels cheaper than methanol (Figure 1).

A global carbon price of USD 700/tCO2e materially changes the transition

The base scenario demonstrates how fuel economics can limit uptake even when vessels have the capacity to use new fuels. This picture changes if the IMO Tier-2 penalty rises to USD 700/tCO2e by 2050, at which point new fuels, including dropins, reach approximately 61% of fleet energy consumption (Figure 1).

By contrast, EU regulations alone will not drive a marked global shift, as they cover only around 20% of international shipping’s energy demand.

Overall cost of using e-methanol and e-ammonia is near parity

While a stronger global carbon price can accelerate the shift towards new fuels, the model does not point to a clear cost winner between e-methanol and e-ammonia.

E-ammonia’s production cost advantage is largely offset by higher logistics costs arising from its toxicity, including specialised crew training, larger exclusion zones, and more complex bunkering. As a result, the overall cost (Figure 2) of using e-ammonia and e-methanol is near parity through to 2050.

Fig 2 Constituents of levelised cost of fuel use

Professor Lynn Loo, CEO of GCMD, said: “Many vessels ordered over the coming decade will still be operating in 2050. Shipowners are therefore making long-lived engine choices before the relative economics of future fuels are clear. 

“Our modelling puts into perspective just how difficult closing the cost gap between new and conventional fuels will be. The carbon price required to close this gap is substantial. And achieving it will be particularly challenging in today’s geopolitical environment. Understanding the signposts that could change these economics will be critical to the decisions the industry makes today.”

Anand Veeraraghavan, Managing Director & Senior Partner at BCG, said: “The maritime fuel transition is being shaped as much by policy and cost uncertainty as by technology readiness. 

“Rather than offer a single prediction, our approach with GCMD maps how sensitive each fuel pathway’s competitive position is to a handful of critical variables — policy scenarios, key cost drivers, and potential restrictions. Our hope is that this gives shipowners, fuel suppliers, port operators, and infrastructure investors a practical tool to stress-test their own fuel strategies as conditions change.”

 

Photo credit: Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation
Published: 18 September, 2026

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Newbuilding

Yang Ming names 15,500 TEU LNG dual-fuel container vessel “YM Weight”

Yang Ming held a naming ceremony at the HD HHI shipyard in Ulsan, South Korea, for “YM Weight”, the fourth vessel in its series of five 15,500 TEU-class LNG dual-fuel container vessels built by HD HHI.

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Yang Ming names 15,500 TEU LNG dual-fuel container vessel “YM Weight”

Taiwanese shipping firm Yang Ming Marine Transport Corporation (Yang Ming) on Thursday (17 September) held a naming ceremony at the HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HD HHI) shipyard in Ulsan, South Korea, for YM Weight, the fourth vessel in its series of five 15,500 TEU-class LNG dual-fuel container vessels built by HD HHI. 

Mrs. Chiu-Lien Lin, the spouse of Administrative Deputy Minister of Transportation and Communications Mr. Kuo-Shian Lin, was invited as the Godmother to officially name the vessel and perform the ceremonial cord-cutting, wishing the ship smooth sailing and full loading on all future voyages. 

This series of vessels built by HD HHI has a length overall (LOA) of 364.97 meters, a breadth of 51 meters, and a capacity of approximately 15,600 TEU. 

The vessels are equipped with high-pressure dual-fuel main engines that run on both LNG and low-sulphur fuel oil, along with integrated navigational information, equipment monitoring, broadband maritime satellite systems, and multiple energy-saving systems to enhance operational efficiency and navigational safety. 

YM Weight, the fourth vessel in the series, is jointly classed by CR and the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), bringing international classification expertise and capabilities to safeguard the safety and technical compliance of next-generation LNG dual-fuel vessels. 

Furthermore, following proactive underwater noise measurements, the vessel has achieved two industry firsts by receiving the Underwater Noise (UWN) notation from ABS and the Underwater Radiated Noise (URN) notation from CR. The dual recognitions underscore Yang Ming’s commitment to mitigate operational impact on marine life and sustainable development. 

In addition to expanding its next-generation fleet and strengthening its core shipping business, Yang Ming has continued to strengthen professional training for seafarers operating alternative-fuel vessels. 

Yang Ming’s senior Captain Ming-Yeong Pan will serve as the delivery captain of ‘YM Weight’. Captain Pan is the first seafarer in Taiwan to receive the Advanced Training Certificate under the International Code of Safety for Ships Using Gases or Other Low-flashpoint Fuels (IGF Code), Certificate No. 0001, issued by the Maritime and Port Bureau, MOTC. 

To date, 148 Yang Ming officers have completed advanced IGF Code training and will progressively undertake onboard training aboard LNG-fueled vessels and practical alternative-fuel bunkering training. 

 

Photo credit: Yang Ming Marine Transport
Published: 18 September, 2026

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