Asia/Pacific News
OW Bunker: MPA Approved MFMs in Singapore Give Savings of Thousands of Dollars Per Day
OW Bunker today said in an emailed press release that, over the last two months, its customers in Singapore who have used a Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) approved Mass Flow Meter (MFM) for their bunker deliveries have enjoyed "savings of thousands of dollars per day" compared to deliveries using traditional tank gauging.
The physical supplier said the bunkering process for the distribution of a typical 1,000 metric tonne (mt) stem normally takes between seven and eight hours, but using a MFM system halves that to three to four hours.
"Reducing the time to bunker by 50% provides our customers with significant time and cost savings," said Søren Christian Meyer, Vice President – Physical Distribution, OW Bunker.
"For example, a one year time charter for a VLCC, which has an average day rate of about US$24,000 will save up to US$4,000 in terms of time when bunkering with a Coriolis Flow Meter. That's a significant amount in any market, and highlights the positive impact that marine fuel distributors can have on driving efficiencies into our customers' operations."
OW Bunker said that other efficiency benefits of using an MPA approved MFM system include removing potentially problematic manual processes and human error, guarding against "inefficient levels of air entrapment" - a phenomenon commonly known as the cappuccino bunker effect - and delivering "unparalleled transparency and accuracy, which eliminates disputes and claims and the additional time associated with this."
OW Bunker added the MPA approved MFM equipped barge Marine Noel to its Singapore physical operations in June.
The 2012-built 4,700 DWT barge is operated by Sinanju Tankers Pte Ltd.
In April MPA announced that from January 1, 2017 it will be mandatory to use a mass flow metering system for Marine Fuel Oil (MFO) bunkering in Singapore.
