The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) on Wednesday (5 October) through Port Marine Circular No. 21 of 2022 said it has developed a framework to allow licensed bunker suppliers to supply biofuel within the Port of Singapore.

The intent is to support trials conducted by vessels, as the shipping industry explores the carbon reduction potential of biofuel, provided that the conditions of the framework are adhered to.

For the supply of biofuel to support trials on vessels, the bunker supplier is encouraged to supply International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) certified biofuel.

Quality of Biofuel

All bunker fuels supplied in the Port of Singapore shall meet ISO 8217 standards. The ISO 8217 is being revised to include additional requirements for blends of distillate and residual fuel oils with fatty acid methyl ester(s). Therefore, MPA in consultation with relevant industry experts, has developed a provisional national standard on specifications of marine biofuel (WA 2:2022). This national standard has been developed under the purview of the Chemical Standards Committee (CSC), a committee under the Singapore Standards Council.

Conditions to supply biofuel within the Port of Singapore to support trials of vessels

• The bunker supplier shall ensure that the mass flow meter (MFM) installed on the bunker craft is intended for the measurement of biofuel as supported by the MFM vendor with the uncertainty of measurement at not more than 0.5%;
• The biofuel supplied shall meet the density and kinematic viscosity specification requirements stated within the MFM approval letter issued by MPA for the bunker craft;
• The bunker supplier shall ensure that the flag Administration, and Class Society of the bunker craft approve or have no objection to the loading, carriage, and delivery of the biofuel onboard the bunker barge. In accordance with MSC-MEPC.2/Circ.17, the carriage requirements for biofuel blends are assigned based on their volumetric composition, as follows:
• 1) When the biofuel blend contains ≥75% of a MARPOL Annex I cargo, it is subject to MARPOL Annex I;
• 2) Biofuel blends containing >1% but <75% of a MARPOL Annex I cargo are subject to MARPOL Annex II, with the carriage requirements set out in chapter 17 of the IBC Code;
• Biofuels blended with ≤1% of a MARPOL Annex I cargo are not considered as blends and are therefore to be shipped in accordance with MARPOL Annex II, under the appropriate product entry in the IBC Code;
• The bunker supplier shall also ensure that Standards and Investigation – Marine Fuel (SIMF) (i.e. [email protected]) is informed of the biofuel bunker delivery. The monthly statement on all bunker supplies made by the bunker supplier shall include the bunker supply of biofuel (according to the fuel type and grade of the conventional fuel, e.g. LSFO180, MFO380, MGO);
• The supply of biofuel as bunker should be sufficiently covered in the commercial agreement between bunker supplier and bunker buyer;
• The bunker supplier shall confirm that Master/owners of the receiving vessel has received the necessary exemption from the relevant flag Administration to conduct trials for the development of ship emission reduction, prior to the delivery;
• No blending shall be carried out on board the bunker craft within the Port of Singapore; h. The Certificate of Quality (COQ) shall be issued by the loading facility only and made available prior to the delivery of the biofuel in Singapore. Specifications shall comply with the specifications of ISO 8217:2017 (with the exception of clause 5.1 of ISO 8217:2017 on FAME levels) which will be in accordance with the contractual agreement;
• All loading operations shall be carried out in accordance with all applicable statutory and port/ coastal State requirements (e.g. MSC-MEPC.2/Circ.17 – 2019 Guidelines for the Carriage of Blends of Biofuels and MARPOL Annex I Cargoes);
• The biofuel blend shall also be tested for FAME and the results shall be incorporated within the COQ;
• The COQ shall be sent to SIMF (i.e. [email protected]) a minimum of one day prior to the biofuel bunker delivery. Any additional information on the biofuel shall be provided to MPA upon request;
• The product name of the biofuel product supplied should be filled accordingly in the BDN (e.g. VLSFO RMG 380 B20); and
• The bunker supplier shall maintain records to all relevant documentation.

Note: The full Port Marine Circular No. 21 of 2022 is available for download here.

Photo credit: Manifold Times
Published: 5 October, 2022