Business

Maritec offers enhanced bunker testing services as precaution against Phenol

Testing services include the analysis of fuel for deleterious materials, chemical contamination by GCMS – screening, stability by P-values sediment, and asphaltenes.

Published

5 years ago

March 18, 2021

Admin

Singapore-based marine fuel testing and marine surveying business Maritec Pte Ltd (Maritec), a subsidiary of Shenzhen-listed Centre Testing International Group’s (CTI), on Wednesday (17 March) introduced a suite of new fuel testing and analysis services aimed at mitigating the risk of bunkering off-spec fuel.

The Maritec Enhanced Analysis Package (MEAP) is an upgraded testing programme developed to complement the existing ISO8217 fuel testing standard, it said.

“With the implementation of the IMO 2020 sulphur regulation, global fuel quality varies significantly and sourcing the right fuel is a challenge,” said Willy Ng, Global Business Development Manager, Maritec.

“Off specification or contaminated fuel can adversely affect engine performance and cause serious damage, resulting in significant repair costs and potentially impacting the safety of ship and crew. We have introduced the Maritec Enhanced Analysis Package to provide a more comprehensive fuel testing regime to prevent common engine problems caused by inferior fuel.”

As part of the overall MEAP, three additional testing services are available depending on the level of detailed analysis required. Testing services include the analysis of fuel for deleterious materials, chemical contamination by GCMS – screening, stability by P-values sediment, and asphaltenes.

“No fuel supplier can guarantee compatibility between different fuels. But the risk of bunkering new fuels that are incompatible with ROBs [remnant onboard fuel] has to be properly managed. MEAP can help mitigate against these risks,” added John Rendi, VP Business Development of Maritec.

As an option, MEAP includes a Compatibility Package allowing ship operators to determine the compatibility of ROB and new bunker of three blending ratios (10:90, 50:50, 90:10).

The analysis is based on a Total Sediment Potential (TSP) test as recommended by the International Council on Combustion Engines (CIMAC).

Engine problems relating to fuel stability can also be prevented with a MEAP Stability Package. Fuel with low stability exhibits a higher potential for asphaltenes, resulting in higher volumes of sludge causing various engine operational problems.

The Stability Package analyses the fuel for Total Sediment Accelerate (TSA), Total Sediment Existent (TSE) and Total Sediment Potential (TSP), with further tests carried out to assess P-value and asphaltene content.

“Where ISO8217 testing shows the fuel meets the requisite specification but machinery damage continues to be experienced, extensive investigation needs to be undertaken to determine the exact cause. This can be a time-consuming and costly process due to the extensive work scopes involved,” added Rendi.

“Our Comprehensive Bunker Forensic Analysis Package is a very cost-effective service covering the complete range of advanced analytical techniques, instrumentation and methodologies to identify the root cause of a marine engine’s fuel-related problems.”

In January and February this year, Maritec tested several VLSFO samples from a Singapore supplier where high concentrations of Phenol were recorded. In one case 385ppm was detected, while another showed 111ppm.

“At these high concentrations there is an increased risk of the fuel losing stability and breaking down, leading to deposits in the fuel system, filters and purifiers,” noted Rendi.

If Phenol is detected in bunker fuel, Maritec advises the industry to carefully observe the fuel system and conduct further Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GCMS) testing to detect other higher boiling point phenolic compounds and Estonian shale oil (alkyl 1,3-benzenediol derivatives).

Photo credit: Maritec
Published: 18 March, 2021

Legal

Singapore withdraws remaining 127 charges against Hin Leong founder OK Lim

Lim Oon Kuin, also known as OK Lim, was issued a stern warning and a district court granted him a discharge amounting to an acquittal for these charges on 17 July.

Published

19 hours ago

July 21, 2026

Admin

Founder of collapsed oil trader Hin Leong Trading, Lim Oon Kuin, also known as OK Lim, has had the remaining 127 charges against him withdrawn, according to The Straits Times on Monday (20 July).

OK Lim was issued a stern warning and a district court granted him a discharge amounting to an acquittal for these charges, including those for cheating, on 17 July. The discharge means Lim cannot be prosecuted again for the same offences.

Lim, 84, is currently serving a 13½-year prison sentence after the High Court reduced his original 17½-year jail term in March 2026. He was convicted in 2024 on two cheating charges and one count of abetting forgery in a case prosecutors described as one of Singapore’s most serious trade finance frauds.

Lim was convicted in May 2024 of two charges of cheating the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) and one count of abetting forgery that proceeded to trial out of a total of 130 criminal charges.

He was first charged in court on 14 August 2020, and was subsequently handed further charges in court on 25 September 2020, 30 April 2021 and 24 June 2021 for his role in perpetuating fraud on various financial institutions.

A total of 130 charges were eventually brought against him for cheating and forgery-related offences.

Photo credit: Sora Shimazaki
Published: 21 July, 2026

Winding up

Singapore: Coastal Logistics Pte Ltd to be wound up voluntarily

Coastal Logistics was reportedly affiliated with troubled Singapore bunker player Coastal Oil (Singapore) Pte Ltd.

Published

19 hours ago

July 21, 2026

Admin

Several resolutions for Coastal Logistics Pte Ltd were made during an extraordinary general meeting held on 14 July, according to a notice in the Government Gazette on Friday (4 July).

The following resolutions were duly passed during the meeting:

As Special Resolution

That it has been proved to the satisfaction of the meeting that the Company cannot by reason of its liabilities continue its business and accordingly the Company be wound up voluntarily pursuant to Section 160(1)(b) of the Insolvency, Restructuring and Dissolution Act 2018 (No. 40 of 2018);

As Ordinary Resolutions

that Mr. Wong Pheng Cheong Martin and Ms. Koay May Yee, both care of FTI Consulting (Singapore) Pte Ltd, One Raffles Quay, #27-10 South Tower, Singapore 048583 be appointed as the joint and several Liquidators of the Company for the purpose of such winding up; and
that the Liquidators be at liberty to open, maintain and operate any bank account(s) or account(s) for monies received by them as Liquidators with such bank(s) as they deem fit; and
that a Committee of Inspection will not be formed.

Manifold Times previously reported Nicholas James Gronow, director of Heng Tong Fuels & Shipping and Coastal Logistics, filed statutory declarations for both companies stating the firms cannot continue their businesses due to liabilities.

Both companies were reportedly affiliated with troubled Singapore bunker player Coastal Oil (Singapore) Pte Ltd.

In 2019, several vessels owned by both firms entered the sale & purchase (S&P) market in Singapore.

Photo credit: Drew Beamer
Published: 21 July, 2026

LNG Bunkering

PIL’s LNG dual-fuel boxship “Kota Elok” arrives in Singapore on maiden call

As the first of 13 new 13,000 TEU vessels joining its fleet, Kota Elok is equipped to operate on LNG and low-sulphur fuel oil that helps reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

Published

19 hours ago

July 21, 2026

Admin

PIL's LNG dual-fuel boxship “Kota Elok” arrives in Singapore on maiden call

Singapore-based Pacific International Lines Pte Ltd on Monday (20 July) said its first 13,000 TEU LNG dual-fuel container vessel, Kota Elok, recently made her maiden call to Singapore on 15 July.

As the first of 13 new 13,000 TEU vessels joining its fleet, Kota Elok is equipped to operate on liquefied natural gas (LNG) and low-sulphur fuel oil that helps reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

The vessel also incorporated energy-saving features and digital technologies to reduce fuel consumption and enhance operational performance, as well as a bow windshield to improve aerodynamics, contributing to improved fuel efficiency and lower emissions over the course of long-haul voyages.

“Following Singapore, Kota Elok will continue her voyage on our East Coast Service 1 (ES1) route to South America, calling at ports in Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina before returning to Asia,” the company said in a social media post.

Kota Elok also became PIL’s first vessel to receive Lloyd’s Register certification for compliance with the IACS UR E26 and UR E27 cyber security requirements.

Developed by the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS), UR E26 and UR E27 are mandatory cyber resilience requirements for newbuild vessels contracted from 1 July 2024.

Photo credit: Pacific International Lines
Published: 21 July, 2026