EMEA News
Supplier to Start Using Mass Flow Meter for Bunkering in West Africa
Houston based bunker company Endofa announced Wednesday that its West Africa bunkering joint-venture, Oleum, will from May 10 use a mass flow meter (MFM) to perform bunker transfers, and that it would be the first in its supply region to adopt the technology.
"Since forming Endofa and later partnering with Oleum, our mission has been to add value and do things differently. This tool will set ourselves apart and ensure correct quantity on each and every transfer," Endofa's Kenn Soendergaard said in an emailed press release.
The Mass Flow Meter will be installed on the MT Fair Artemis in Freetown this coming week.
"The Insatech Bunker Control System consists of a flow meter solution based on the Coriolis principle which provides correct mass measurements, temperature and density. This ensures against fraudulent practices such as buy-back, bribes and signing off on false delivery notes," explained Alan Christoffersen, CEO, Insatech A/S (Insatech).
"The system will be your guarantee that you get what you pay for. All data in the system is encrypted and tamper-proof. The system has been installed on a large number of vessels over the last six years and has been proven in practice.
"It is the first installation of the Bunker Control System that Insatech has performed in West Africa and we are pleased that Endofa has chosen us to deploy the latest up to date technology in order to fight bunker fraud in the region."
Fierce Competition
Soendergaard noted that traffic in West Africa has increased in recent years.
"Although the competition is fierce, bunker fraud is simply a price factor we are not willing and able to compete on. It is very much a move to put the voting in the hands of the operators, owners and their purchasing team," he said.
The supplier said the introduction of the MFM would likely not be reflected on their bottom line any time soon, however the technology would ensure there was "competition on true pricing."
Oleum was jointly founded by Dan-Bunkering and Endofa at the end of 2013.
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) last month said that from January 1, 2017 it would mandate the use of MFMs, becoming the first port to do so.
