Asia/Pacific News
Mass Flow Meters Will Raise Singapore Bunker Volumes by 7 Million Tonnes
Mass flow meters are expected to significantly increase Singapore's bunker sales volumes, though a dip in volumes is predicted in the short term, reports Seatrade Global.
Earlier this year Singapore became the world's first port to announce it will make the use of mass flow meters mandatory for marine fuel oil bunkering, with regulations coming into effect beginning 2017.
Steven Tan, group director quality and standards at government agency SPRING Singapore, predicted during the Singapore International Bunkering Conference and Exhibition (SIBCON) last week that bunker volumes would increase by seven million metric tonnes a year once the change settles in.
The meters are expected to increase operational efficiency by 25 percent, the equivalent of up to three hours refueling time.
"The fall in bunker sales will be short term as shipowners will very quickly realise the benefits of higher efficiency and time savings, as well as receiving the true volume of oil, when they bunker in Singapore," said Simon Neo, executive director of Piroj International and a committee member of the group working towards mass flow meters in Singapore.
Annual bunker sales for Singapore, which at some 42 million tonnes per year has the world's largest bunker sales, are predicted fall between 10-20 percent initially.
This week the Bunker Detectives has advised that tank sounding is still important even when bunkering with a mass flow meter.
