IBIA, after reviewing the BIMCO Bunker Terms 2018, welcomed the new contracts, as they will be “a major step in the right direction”. The new BIMCO Standard Bunker Terms and Conditions were approved by BIMCO’s Documentary Committee on 2 May, and they introduce a maximum limit of the parties’ liabilities.
Stena Oil will create a new marine fuel terminal in the Port of Frederikshavn. The facility will be fully adapted to meet the new Sulphur Directive 2020 and its location will reduce the distances travelled by bunkering vessels. The oil terminal will be the largest of its kind in Denmark. Several services can be conducted at the same time, reducing transportation and turnaround times.
BIMCO’s Documentary Committee approved new standard bunker terms, developed by a cross-industry group, in New York on 2 May. The BIMCO Bunker Terms 2018 aim to improve the previous edition, providing a maximum limit of the parties’ liabilities, something that is considered as a key change, that will lead to wider adoption of the contract.
American energy major ExxonMobil is launching a mass flow metering system (MFMS) for marine gas oil in Singapore, after the Maritime and Port Authority mandated that all distillates must be delivered via a MFMS from 1 July 2019. The first barge deliveries are set to start in May 2018, the company said.
The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets stopped its anticartel investigation in the bunker sector in the Amsterdam – Rotterdam – Antwerp triangle, as it did not find any actual cartel agreement. Although between 2011 and 2014, discussions about a price-fixing agreement were held, they did not result in an actual cartel agreement.
IBIA’s “Best practice guidance for suppliers for assuring the quality of bunkers delivered to ships” was welcomed by the 72nd session of the IMO’s MEPC, where it was agreed that it can be a good basis for the development of IMO guidance. However, several member states raised concerns about the document.
In response to a call from IMO, IBIA has issued a ‘Best practice guidance for suppliers for assuring the quality of bunkers delivered to ships’. The guidance represents the first time a concerted effort has been made to address procedures to safeguard and maintain bunker fuel quality control throughout the entire supply chain.
During his presentation at the last GREEN4SEA Conference, Mr. David Nichol, Senior Loss Prevention Executive at Thomas Miller (Hellas) Ltd., focused on bunker spills, examining their root causes and what loss prevention measures can be implemented to combat them. Mr. Nichol noted that spills into the marine environment relating to bunkering operations continue to occur with worrying regularity.
Singapore-based BW Group issued a short film explaining the background with respect to use of Mass Flow Meters, which are considered to bring change in bunkering process within an environment of increasing operational challenges. From 1 January 2017, the Port of Singapore became the first in the world to mandate the use of MFM.
According to IBIA CEO Justin Murphy, as quoted at IBIA’s Annual Convention in Singapore, there is compelling evidence that ethical businesses are more profitable than others. It pays to do the right thing, and there are numerous other benefits.
