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Singapore: MPA updates procedures for marine service providers attending to vessels

Shipowners arriving to conduct activities which require shore-based personnel to board the vessel must notify and provide the relevant information in advance, it said.
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The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) on Tuesday (25 July) published an advisory on updated procedures, precautionary measures and guidelines for any marine service providers attending to vessels at the port of Singapore: 

ADVISORY ON MARINE SERVICE PROVIDERS ATTENDING TO VESSELS AT ANCHORAGES AND TERMINALS IN THE PORT OF SINGAPORE

Singapore continues to take a calibrated and risk-based approach in determining the precautions and measures for the COVID-19 pandemic. The owner, agent or master of any vessel arriving in the Port of Singapore to conduct activities such as repairs, servicing, surveys and inspections which requires shore-based personnel to board the vessel, other than receiving bunkers and ship supplies, must notify and provide the relevant information, in advance, to the Port Master.

The owner, agent or master of the vessel must inform the Port Master 3 days before the arrival of the vessel, that the vessel will be conducting the activities mentioned in paragraph 1, and whether shore-based personnel (such as surveyors, P&I correspondents, superintendents and repair technicians) will be boarding the vessel at the anchorages or terminals. The following information shall be submitted:

  1. Name of vessel;
  2. Name of service provider;
  3. Purpose of boarding and scope of works;
  4. Full name and local contact number of shore-based personnel;
  5. The intended boarding date and time, with estimated duration on board; and
  6. The service provider’s Safe Management Measures (SMM), which must include details of safe distancing and precautionary measures for COVID-19 before boarding, when conducting work on board and after completion of work. 

Please refer to Annex A for the template submission

The information is to be submitted to the Duty Officer, Marine Safety Control Centre, email: [email protected].

The owner, agent or master of any vessel who fails to notify and submit the required information within the stipulated time may be found guilty of a breach of Section 44 of the Maritime and Port Authority Act (Chapter 170A) and be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $10,000.

Precautionary Measures for Marine Service Providers Boarding Vessels in Port

Shore-based personnel cannot board the vessel if no advance notice was given. For vessels which have given the required advance notice, shore-based personnel who are boarding the vessel are reminded to:

For vessels which have shore-based personnel boarding, the vessel should adopt the following measures:
Precautionary Measures for Vessels with Marine Service Providers Boarding in Port

 

Do Don’t
See a doctor if you are sick and stay at home

Leave the work area immediately if you
start feeling unwell and report to your employer

 Don’t go to work even if symptoms appear mild
Do request for a designated work and rest area
Shorten the duration of stay on board to
minimise exposure

 Don’t loiter in the crew living or common areas
No overnight stays on board visiting vessel
A mask must be worn at all times (unless the work
activity requires that no mask be worn).

In addition, to wear other appropriate Personal
Protective Equipment (PPE), where necessary,
such as gloves, goggles/ face shields and
surgical gown, without jeopardising
operational and personal safety

 Do not reuse used PPE, and dispose PPE in
designated biohazard disposal bin
Practice safe distancing (at least 2 metres apart)
and avoid physical contact with vessel’s crew

 Don’t shake hands. Adopt alternative greetings
Observe good personal hygiene such as frequent
washing of hands with soap or use hand sanitisers

 Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth
Bring and consume your own individually
packed food and drinks

Consume your meals separate from
the vessel’s crew

 Do not consume food and beverages f
rom the vessel
Do not share food with others
  1. Owners/managers/supervisors of marine service companies are reminded to take note of all available health advisories and bring it to the attention of your company and employees.
    All crew members are to take and record their temperature twice daily.
  2. All crew members are advised to maintain good hygiene in the vessel’s accommodation areas by cleaning frequently touched surfaces (e.g. desk, chart tables, dining tables, bridge/engine room consoles, door handles, hand-holds, switches, telephones/VHF handsets, faucets, etc.)
  3. Master of the vessel should isolate unwell crew members and/or passengers.
  4. Access should be denied to shore-based personnel who are unwell.
  5. Minimise interaction of crew with shore-based personnel by, where possible, designating a separate, clean and disinfected rest area, and dedicated toilets for shore-based personnel to use only.
  6. Upon shore-based personnel disembarking, disinfect the areas that have been used and especially high touch points. The vessel’s master should follow the National Environment Agency’s guidance for disinfecting common areas and rooms.
  7. Keep a record of the movement of shore-based personnel on board the vessel.

Companies wishing to implement additional preventive measures in line with their respective company policies should ensure these additional measures comply with prevailing standards/procedures applicable in the Port of Singapore.

We thank all stakeholders for their continuous efforts in ensuring that Singapore’s port operations remain uninterrupted and efficient. We also urge all to remain vigilant, resolute and united in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic.

A full copy of the circular is available for download here. 


Photo credit: Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore
Published: 25 August, 2020

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BHP and GCMD trial multi-feedstock B100 bio bunker fuel on bulk carrier

Bio-blend in the BHP and GCMD pilot is being used on a BHP-chartered bulk carrier “Berge Lyngor”, which was bunkered in Singapore in early May.

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BHP and GCMD trial multi-feedstock B100 bio bunker fuel on bulk carrier

BHP and the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) on Wednesday (3 June) said they have blended biofuels from two distinct feedstocks—used cooking oil and waste animal fats —and introduced the lower-emissions marine fuel into a BHP-chartered bulk carrier as part of a pilot project.

The bio-blend in the BHP and GCMD pilot is being used on a BHP-chartered bulk carrier Berge Lyngor, owned and operated by Berge Bulk, transporting BHP iron ore from Western Australia to China. When run on bio-blend, the vessel has the potential to reduce well-to-wake greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 79 per cent per voyage compared to sailing on very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO).

The vessel bunkered in Singapore in early May with a B100 bio-blend comprising 50 percent tallow-derived biodiesel, sourced and supplied by HAMR Energy, and 50 per cent used cooking oil (UCOME) supplied by Mitsui & Co Energy Trading Singapore (METS).

Mitsui also blended the fuel and Dan-Bunkering coordinated and executed the bunkering operation, which was performed by Global Energy’s barge MT Maple.

The BHP and GCMD pilot will assess how biofuels from multiple feedstocks can be blended, handled, and introduced under real-world operating conditions using existing used cooking oil bunkering infrastructure.

At the same time, insights from this pilot will help identify solutions to challenges related to fuel quality, handling, traceability, and onboard vessel performance.

Biofuels for global shipping today rely heavily on used cooking oil – a feedstock whose availability is approaching its projected limits. Biofuel from waste animal fats presents a promising option to expand the supply of lower-emissions marine fuels.

The outcomes of the pilot are expected to shed light on the practical steps to integrate biofuel blends from different feedstocks into existing supply chains. The diversity of biofuels will provide shipowners and operators with greater flexibility to optimise fuel procurement based on cost, availability, and lifecycle emissions performance.

Biofuels derived from different feedstocks can exhibit varying properties that may impact operations, including potential corrosion from oxidation, fuel system clogging caused by wax formation, which this pilot aims to assess.

The pilot will trace and verify the biofuel blend’s integrity aimed at bolstering confidence in emissions reductions reporting. The pilot will also provide insights into how robust tracing can support future marine fuel supply chains where biofuels from multiple feedstocks with varying lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions footprints are blended together.

This project is co-funded by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore under the Maritime Innovation and Technology Fund (MINT).

 

Photo credit: Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation
Published: 3 June, 2026

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NYK starts one-year B100 bio bunker fuel trial on car carrier

In this trial, NYK will operate a car carrier continuously on B100 for one year to evaluate the impact on engines, fuel supply systems, and operational practices.
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The initiative is designed to evaluate the fuel’s effects on the vessel’s equipment and verify operational safety under real-world conditions. 

Through this effort, NYK seeks to accumulate technical expertise that will support the broader use of high-purity biofuels and further accelerate efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

NYK has been advancing the use of biofuels through various initiatives. In 2024, the company conducted a trial using biofuel blend B24 and subsequently expanded practical usage to B30. However, the company said there remains limited global experience with the long-term continuous use of B100.

“By collecting long-term operational data through this trial, NYK aims to accumulate valuable technical insights to support both the safe operation of vessels and the wider adoption of high-purity biofuels,” it said. 

 

Photo credit: NYK
Published: 3 June, 2026

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AM Green plans to build green ammonia plant at Indian port

Initiative also includes development of green ammonia handling, storage and bunkering infrastructure, pilot bunkering operations, safety procedures and training programmes, says VOC Port Authority.

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The plant will have a capacity of one million tonnes per annum (MTPA) at Tuticorin.

The initiative also includes development of green ammonia handling, storage and bunkering infrastructure, pilot bunkering operations, safety procedures and training programmes. 

The project is expected to support the development of green fuel corridors connecting VOC Port with major ports in Europe and Asia, thereby strengthening India’s position in the global green fuels value chain.

VOC Port also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bureau Veritas (India) Pvt. Ltd., to collaborate on Green Port certification, emissions accounting, ESG reporting, safety validation, development of green bunkering practices, and establishment of a Centre of Excellence for green fuels and sustainability.

The port also plans for an upcoming 750 m³ green methanol bunkering facility.

 

Photo credit: Naveed Ahmed on Unsplash
Published: 3 June, 2026

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