IBIA has finalised a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to help bunker surveyors identify their responsibilities when overseeing bunker deliveries involving Mass Flow Meters (MFMs) in Singapore.
The SOP has been developed to address industry concerns and benefit all parties in the bunkering supply chain, and build trust in this new operating paradigm as Singapore moves toward the mandatory use of MFMs for supply of marine fuel oil (MFO). The SOP project was initiated by Capt Rahul Choudhuri of VPS when he took over as Chairman of the Executive Committee for IBIA in Asia in February this year. He saw a need for a harmonised approach for bunker surveyor practices when dealing with MFM bunker deliveries.
Capt Rahul, together with IBIA (Asia) Regional Manager Simon Neo, Douglas Raitt of Lloyd’s Register FOBAS, Darajit Daud of SGS and Michael Green of Intertek ShipCare produced a first draft which was presented to the industry in April. Following wider industry consultation on subsequent drafts, a Bunker Surveyor Sub-Committee established in July, chaired by Raitt, has now completed the SOP which all the surveying companies in Singapore will be invited to adopt.
The SOP has been designed to work within Singapore’s TR 48 technical standard for MFMs, which became mandatory for deliveries involving MFMs on 1 June, 2016, ahead of the mandated use of MFMs for all MFO deliveries on 1 January, 2017. The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has been consulted and kept informed throughout the process.
Capt Rahul says:
“We took up a big challenge in trying to develop this SOP, which would benefit the industry, from scratch. Getting competitors to work together to develop this SOP shows the true value of an independent association like IBIA. Having MPA and SPRING Singapore acknowledge this work shows the respect for our expertise.”
MFMs are not “plug & play” devices, there are complexities that need to be recognised and this SOP addresses that, Capt Rahul notes. With the SOP finalised, the Singapore-based Bunker Surveyor Sub-Committee set up in July is already looking into other aspects of training and product enhancement for bunker surveyors to help them increase their knowledge and standards.
Source: IBIA
