IBIA Issues SOP for Surveyors in Response to Singapore TR48 MFM Technical Reference

by Ship & Bunker News Team
Friday May 6, 2016

The International Bunker Industry Association (IBIA) Friday announced that, in response to the introduction of TR 48:2015 developed as part of Singapore's Mass Flow Meter (MFM) requirements, it has developed a set of Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for use by surveyors.

IBIA says the SOP is intended "to help the industry manage new challenging regulations, standardise best practice and build trust in the market," but notes that the procedures will not supersede any applicable recommended practices by regulatory or standard bodies, the agreement or guidelines of any contract, nor will it conflict with safety and environmental considerations or local conditions.

"The development and adoption of SOP for surveyors will go a long way towards building trust in the market and underlines IBIA's commitment to education and professional best practice," said Peter Hall, CEO for IBIA, noting that the draft SOP was first presented on April 22 at the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) Bunker Forum.

"This is the very first time such guidelines have been developed for surveyors and the feedback is positive. We hope to push this forward quickly as it really will add significant value and improve working practices across the industry," he added.

While the IBIA says it plans to announce the approved and final SOP by June 2016, it is urging its members to involve themselves in the consultation process by contacting Simon Neo, Regional Manager for IBIA in Asia via regionalmanagerasia@ibia.net.

Using MFMs for MFO bunkering will be mandatory in Singapore from January 1, 2017.

In March, IBIA announced that, in light of the implementation of the new TR 48:2015, it has renamed "Mass Flow Metering Course" to the "Refresher Course for Bunker Surveyors and Bunker Cargo Officers – including Bunker Mass Flow Meter."