Asia/Pacific News
Singapore Mass Flow Meters will Raise Efficiency
The mandated use of mass flow meters for bunkering in Singapore will raise efficiency by reducing the time for bunker delivery, industry news site Seatrade Global reports.
Trials conducted in Singapore have showed that mass flow meters can reduce the time taken for bunker delivery from four or five hours to as little as one hour, depending on the volume of bunkers and vessel type.
For bunker suppliers, use of the meters can allow time for more loadings and deliveries, increasing bunker tankers' productivity from a current norm of eight deliveries per month, according to Lim Teck Cheng, chief executive of Singapore tanker operator and owner Hong Lam Marine.
Desmond Chong, general manager of another Singapore barge operator, Sinanju, said the conventional sounding method to measure bunker quantity and other tests like tape measurements are time-consuming.
"In terms of productivity, this is where we look at the turnaround of our bunker tankers and we can do more deliveries with mass flow meters," he said.
"We can easily do 10-11 vessel turnarounds (in a month)."
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) announced Tuesday that use of the mass flow meters will be mandatory in 2017, and the port will provide an incentive payment to help bunker tankers offset the cost of the systems.
