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SIBCON 2020: Singapore Bunkering TC Chairman discusses role of Singapore bunkering standards with BIMCO

‘The SS 660 and TR 80 are designed to uphold integrity and fair trade in the industry so that mass flow meter bunkering can be promoted worldwide,’ said Chairman Seah.
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Seah Khen Hee Chairman of the Singapore Technical Committee for Bunkering, Singapore Standards Council on Wednesday (8 October) shared his thoughts on ‘The Evolving Role of Singapore Bunkering Standards – Changes, Implications and Use Cases’ alongside Christian Bækmark Schiolborg, Manager, Marine Environment at BIMCO.

The SIBCON 2020 session focused especially on two newly launched bunkering standards for the local bunkering sector – SS 660 and TR 80 – as well as the progress shown by the introduction of the mass flow meter (MFM) to the Singapore bunker industry since 2009. 

Briefly, the SS 660 is the code of practice for bunker cargo delivery from oil terminal to bunker tanker using MFM, and TR 80 is on the requirements and procedures for meter verification using a master MFM to verify and check the stability and performance of a duty meter installed on a bunker tanker or at an oil terminal.

“A lot of the challenges in bunkering, i.e delivery from the bunker tanker to the receiving vessel, actually emerges at the start of the bunker supply chain which is the first point of custody transfer between the terminal and the bunker tanker,” explained Seah.

“With SS 660 in place, we hope to be able to address this basic issue because if you can’t receive the correct bunker quantity as ordered, this will lead to incorrect inventory, which will lead to undesired practices downstream when the loaded quantity on the bunker tanker can’t tally with the total quantity delivered to vessel(s).” 

Seah also highlighted that the bunker standards and MFMs in place uphold the integrity of the industry to maintain fair trade as “bunkering is not just about measurement, it is more than just measurement, it’s also about system integrity or to fully receive without shortage the quantity measured”.

“The TR 80 specifies the requirements and procedures for the master meter and for meter verification whereby a meter verification report will be generated to guide further action,” explained Seah. 

Seah noted TR 80 supports the two standards, SS 648 and SS660, through mandated periodic meter verification of the frontline duty MFMs, thereby providing assurance that these MFMs continue to perform to requirements of the two standards.

Specifically, re-calibrating a frontline meter on a bunker tanker can be a very costly and time-consuming process, taking weeks. Acceptance test after re-installation alone takes about three days to complete.

The TR 80 would also be a solution to allow authorities to order a quick spot check on the frontline meters, increase efficiency, uphold trust in the industry, and promote MFM bunkering worldwide. It is a step towards future proofing as the bunker industry moves towards digitisation as MFM bunkering can also be used on alternative marine fuels such as  liquefied natural gas (LNG) and methanol.

Schiolborg responded to Seah by stating BIMCO believes bunkering standards are crucial in ensuring a level playing field for shipping. 

“This is a very important Singapore community driven initiative that will help ensure standardisation, including the implementation of the mass flow metering mentioned by Mr Seah,” said Schiolborg. 

“However, the use of MFMs cannot stand alone as the efforts need to be complemented by the implementation of a bunker licensing scheme and enforced by port authorities to ensure transparency and standardisation.

“The entire Singapore bunkering ecosystem has shown the way and that there are significant joint economical savings to gain by working together in ensuring a level playing field for all through standardisation.

“BIMCO will continue to encourage the rest of the world to follow the example set by the Singapore community when it comes to both mass flow metering and bunker licensing schemes.”

A series of SIBCON 2020 related articles have been earlier written by Manifold Times:

Related: SIBCON 2020: Singapore enters memorandum of cooperation on future fuels port network
Related: SIBCON 2020: Equatorial Marine Fuels provides view on local and global bunker markets post Covid-19
Related: SIBCON 2020: BIMCO Chief Shipping Analyst explains new business dynamics in bunker fuels sector
Related: Chairman of Technical Committee for Bunkering explains SS 660, TR 80; and cast an eye to the future
Related: SIBCON 2020: TR 48 reaps annual savings of at least SGD 80 million for bunkering sector
Related: SIBCON 2020: Singapore introduces new MFM bunkering standards SS 660 and TR 80
Related: SIBCON 2020: Powering Fuels of the Future, Driving towards Decarbonisation
Related: SIBCON 2020: Senior Minister highlights ‘quality resilience and sustainability’ for bunkering sector
Related: Infineum explains: ISO 8217:2017 should be viewed as a ‘minimum performance benchmark’ for VLSFOs
Related: Interview: Hafnia shares IMO 2020 preparations, promotes transparency for bunkering operations
Related: VPS: Shipowners face ‘tricky situation’ to balance VLSFO shelf life and wax appearance temperature
Related: VPS: Big data analysis reveals link between Covid-19 and spike in low flashpoint MGO off-spec cases
Related: Interview: Total Marine Fuels Global Solutions discusses sector growth, IMO 2020, and future plans
Related: SIBCON 2020: Evolution to a ‘completely different’ bunkering industry event, says organiser
Related: Singapore: SIBCON 2020 bunkering event to be hosted virtually


Photo credit: SIBCON 2020
Published: 8 October, 2020

 

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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.

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July 21, 2026

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RESIZED Sora Shimazaki on Pexels

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.

Related: Singapore: Hin Leong Founder OK Lim gets jail term slashed to 13.5 years

 

Photo credit: Sora Shimazaki
Published: 21 July, 2026

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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.

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17 hours ago

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July 21, 2026

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RESIZED Drew Beamer

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.

Related: Singapore: Director declares Heng Tong Fuels & Shipping’s inability to continue business
Related: Heng Tong Fuels & Shipping in court over DBS Bank bunker tanker loan
Related: Singapore: Bunker tanker “Coastal Neptune” arrested
Related: Heng Tong Fuels & Shipping, Coastal Logistics tankers enter S&P market

 

Photo credit: Drew Beamer
Published: 21 July, 2026

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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.

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July 21, 2026

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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

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