Asia/Pacific News
Shipowner Interest will Drive Mass Flow Meter Adoption
Shipowners will determine whether the industry will shift to mass flow meters, Seah Khen Hee, chairman of the Singapore Standards Council technical committee for bunkering, told an industry forum Friday, according to Platts.
Seah said the technology can "never be perfect," but it provides fairer measurements for trading than methods like sounding tape.
The use of mass flow meters also gives shipowners more information about the suppliers they could work with, Seah added.
"[The shipowner] will be able to gauge the type of supplier he is dealing with and make better purchase decisions from the knowledge gained," he said.
Use of mass flow meters will become mandatory in Singapore on January 1, 2017, and another speaker at the forum, Neal Watmough, managing director of producer Endress + Hauser, said owners should not wait long to install them since manufacturers and installers will likely experience a last-minute crunch as the deadline approaches.
New bunker tankers will be required to use the meters starting at the beginning of next year, and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) will provide subsidies to help offset the cost for bunker tankers.
