Business

BunkerMAESTRO to remove ‘biggest pain point’ of bunker operators

Claritecs spokesman explains why the solution for an ‘extremely disjointed’ sector lies in its scheduling sheet.

Published

7 years ago

September 5, 2019

Admin

A digital solution developed by Singapore-based maritime solutions firm Claritecs is well on its way to remove the ‘biggest pain point’ of bunker tanker operators and more, says its Co-founder and Chief Product Officer.

Russell Gomes was presenting at the 9th Biennial Bunkering in Asia conference on Wednesday (4 September) when he shared how the tech company became convinced the solution for an “extremely disjointed” sector lies in digitisation of its scheduling sheet.

“Every bunker delivery involves many different stakeholders and parties. You've got the operators, suppliers, traders, terminals, creditors, ship agents and receiving vessels,” he told delegates.

“Each job requires a lot of communication between all the different parties before and after each delivery, and information flow is slow.

“When we analysed the problem, we found that all the essential information that needs to be shared between the various parties can be contained within the schedule.

“Secondly, it just so happens that when we speak to bunker operators, their biggest pain point is their scheduling!”

An industry survey conducted by Claritecs found bunker tanker operators coping with deliveries by either reorganising their bunkering schedule every 2-3 hours to ensure optimisation of fleet, or by simply planning big buffers around each delivery to ensure of no clashes and replanning sequences.

“What if we could make the planning for bunkering easier for everybody, and create a platform that synchronises the entire bunker supply chain and ecosystem, that can take all our customers to instant digitisation and digital transformation?” Gomes asks.

“We’re solving all these problems with our system BunkerMAESTRO, where to start-off, we’re focusing on the schedule, and we’ve built an auto-scheduling system for bunker operators.

“This solves the operators’ problem, and allows us to have a centralised system that has the schedules of the various barges, and all the associated information.

“That's what Claritecs is aiming to do. The end goal is ultimately to reduce work load and cut costs for operators, and increase the optimisation of the vessels, which means they can increase their turn rate per vessel, or use fewer vessels to handle the same number of jobs.”

To date, Claritecs has inked MOUs with bunker operators Sinanju Tankers Holdings, Sentek Marine & Trading, Global Energy Trading, United Maritime and New Maritime representing 33% of the total Singapore bunker tanker fleet to testbed BunkerMAESTRO.

It has also entered into LOIs with shipping firms CMA CGM, PCL, PanUnited, and Glory Ship Management for the similar activity.

“Now as we get the bunker operators on board, we will invite their customers and partners who are the suppliers, traders, agents or ship owners onto the platform as well,” he shares.

“The schedule contains all the operational information including pre-delivery and post-delivery information, and by having the schedule on one platform, all parties can monitor the status of the deliveries and view the information that is relevant to them.

“This information will be updated regularly by the operators and their crew, and will also contain third-party AIS information all in one place. And this will ultimately reduce the amount of inefficiencies described earlier.”

Moving forward, Gomes reveals Claritecs to be in discussions on piloting a scheduling system for an unnamed oil terminal in Singapore to allow for reduced waiting time and increase transparency for loading operations with bunker tankers.

The company also intends to increase participation of its BunkerMAESTRO test bedding program from the current 33% to 50% of the Singapore bunker tanker fleet by end of the year.

“To wrap up, we have identified that the schedule is the heart of operations, and digitising the schedule and transforming the scheduling process has helped us to take a step towards digitising the entire bunkering process and operations,” he concludes.

Photo credit: Manifold Times
Published: 5 September, 2019

Mass Flowmeter

Hong Kong backs MFM adoption with voluntary scheme to boost bunkering competitiveness

Hong Kong’s Marine Department launched the Quality Bunker Operator Scheme to encourage bunker operators to install and use mass flow meter systems on their bunker vessels.

Published

15 hours ago

June 4, 2026

Admin

Hong Kong’s Marine Department (MD) on Wednesday (3 June) launched the Quality Bunker Operator Scheme to encourage bunker operators to install and use mass flow meter systems (MFM systems) on their bunker vessels.

MD said the scheme aims to enhance Hong Kong’s bunkering service quality and the competitiveness of Hong Kong ports, thereby further consolidating Hong Kong’s position as an international maritime centre and a major bunkering port.

Under the Scheme, bunker operators of traditional maritime fuel and biodiesel that install and use MFM systems on their bunker vessels, with the MFM systems inspected and certified by an accredited body in accordance with the International Organization for Standardization’s ISO 22192 Standard or equivalent requirements, can apply to the MD for inclusion in the scheme’s “List of Quality Bunker Vessels”, provided they meet the relevant technical and operational requirements.

Details of the bunker vessels successfully included in the List will be published on a dedicated page on the MD’s website for reference by shipping companies and relevant stakeholders.

Participation in the Scheme is voluntary. In addition to receiving recognition from the MD, participating bunker operators will benefit from enhanced corporate image and competitiveness through the adoption of MFM systems, thereby boosting customers’ confidence and helping to create new business opportunities.

A spokesman for the MD, said: “As an international maritime centre supported by our country, Hong Kong has a strategic location adjacent to major international fairways. Coupled with years of development in marine fuel bunkering, Hong Kong possesses rich experience and talent in the field. For many years, Hong Kong has consistently ranked as the seventh-largest bunkering port globally, the second-largest in our country, and the largest in the Greater Bay Area, providing reliable and competitive fuel bunkering services to ocean-going vessels from around the world.

“As the international shipping industry has an increasing demand for accuracy and transparency in bunkering services, service quality and measurement precision in bunkering operations have become important indicators of a bunkering port’s competitiveness. The Scheme will enhance bunkering accuracy and transparency, further enhancing the quality of Hong Kong’s bunkering services.

The spokesman added that comprehensive port services are one of Hong Kong’s key advantages as an international maritime centre.

“We will also mandate the use of MFM systems on all methanol bunker vessels this year to ensure that Hong Kong continues to provide high-quality bunkering services in the era of green maritime fuels.”

Note: The application form for the Scheme can be found on the MD’s website. Interested bunker operators can download the application form from the website or contact the MD’s Green Maritime Fuel Team via email ([email protected]) for details.

Photo credit: Manifold Times
Published: 4 June, 2026

Alternative Fuels

MPA and MSC ink MoU to support adoption of alternative bunker fuels

MPA and MSC will explore new routes and services to strengthen connectivity, support the adoption of alternative marine fuels such as bio-LNG, and advance technologies to improve vessel energy efficiency.

Published

15 hours ago

June 4, 2026

Admin

MPA and MSC ink MoU to support adoption of alternative bunker fuels

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) on Wednesday (3 June) said it signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company to strengthen collaboration in maritime decarbonisation, digitalisation, innovation, and manpower development.

The MoU was signed on 25 May 2026 by Mr Ang Wee Keong, Chief Executive of MPA, and Mr Soren Toft, Chief Executive Officer of MSC.

The MoU underscores the shared commitment of MPA and MSC to foster a sustainable, digital, and future-ready maritime sector, while enhancing MSC’s operational and business activities in Singapore. This year also marks the 30th anniversary of MSC establishing its Asia Regional Office and local office in Singapore.

Under the MoU, MPA and MSC will explore new routes and services to strengthen connectivity, support the adoption of alternative marine fuels such as bio-LNG, and advance technologies to improve vessel energy efficiency and operational performance.

MPA and MSC will also collaborate on maritime digitalisation initiatives to improve operational efficiency, including streamlining vessel arrivals and port operations.

On manpower development, MSC will support internship and scholarship opportunities through Singapore Maritime Foundation’s Maritime Outreach Network (MaritimeONE) platform, an industry-led tripartite partnership comprising industry, government and institutes of higher learning that aims to raise awareness of the maritime industry and attract quality talent into the maritime sector.

Mr Ang Wee Keong, Chief Executive of MPA, said: “This partnership reflects the strong collaboration between MPA and MSC in driving sustainability and digitalisation in the maritime sector. By working together on decarbonisation, operational efficiency and talent development, we aim to strengthen Maritime Singapore’s position as a trusted and future-ready global maritime hub.”

Mr Soren Toft, Chief Executive Officer of MSC, said: “Singapore is a strategically important hub for MSC and a key gateway to the broader Asia region. As we mark 30 years in Singapore, this MOU reinforces our long-term commitment to strengthening our presence here. MSC and Singapore are closely aligned on the priorities shaping the future of global shipping, and we look forward to deepening this partnership to drive the continued growth and resilience of the maritime industry.”

Photo credit: Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore
Published: 4 June, 2026

Emissions reporting

StormGeo and OceanScore link emissions data, compliance workflows

Cooperation combines StormGeo’s expertise in operational vessel and emissions data with OceanScore’s expertise in emissions compliance workflows across EU ETS, FuelEU Maritime and UK ETS requirements.

Published

15 hours ago

June 4, 2026

Admin

StormGeo and OceanScore link emissions data, compliance workflows

Weather intelligence and decision support solutions provider StormGeo and Hamburg-based technology platform OceanScore on Wednesday (3 June) said they have deepened their ongoing cooperation through the signing of a collaboration agreement during Posidonia 2026 in Athens on 2 June.

The cooperation combines StormGeo’s expertise in operational vessel and emissions data with OceanScore’s expertise in emissions compliance workflows across EU ETS, FuelEU Maritime and upcoming UK ETS requirements.

Together, the companies aim to help shipping companies seamlessly navigate increasing regulatory complexity more efficiently — from emissions reporting and data validation to compliance exposure management, pooling and financial settlement.

As emissions regulation becomes an increasingly important part of commercial shipping operations, the need for reliable operational data and streamlined compliance processes continues to grow. The cooperation between StormGeo and OceanScore is designed to support shipping companies with more connected, transparent and actionable processes across operational and commercial teams.

“From the outside, companies like StormGeo and OceanScore may sometimes be perceived as competitors because both operate around emissions and compliance workflows,” said Albrecht Grell, Managing Director at OceanScore.

“But in reality, the industry increasingly needs both perspectives working together: trusted operational emissions data on one side and commercial compliance execution on the other. Our cooperation reflects that shipping companies are no longer looking for isolated solutions — they need connected processes, automated across different systems and reliable decision-making throughout the full compliance chain.”

By connecting validated operational emissions data with commercial compliance management, the cooperation supports workflows across:

emissions reporting and validation
compliance management across EU ETS, FuelEU Maritime and upcoming UK ETS requirements
exposure visibility and cost transparency
pooling, settlement and financial processes

The cooperation also aims to improve commercial transparency and coordination across operational and commercial stakeholders.

“StormGeo plays a central role in helping shipping companies turn operational vessel and emissions data into trusted, decision-ready insights,” said Espen Martinsen, Chief Commercial Officer at StormGeo.

“As emissions regulations become more complex, this data is essential for transparent and efficient compliance management. By working with OceanScore, we can help customers connect StormGeo’s validated operational data with commercial compliance processes, creating a more integrated and practical approach to emissions management.”

The signing ceremony took place at the StormGeo booth during Posidonia 2026 in Athens and was attended by representatives from both companies.

Both companies expect the cooperation to continue evolving alongside upcoming regulatory developments, including FuelEU Maritime, EU ETS, the upcoming UK ETS and future emissions-related frameworks affecting global shipping.

Photo credit: StormGeo
Published: 4 June, 2026