Asia/Pacific News
Singapore: Mandatory MFMs Bring No Big Change in Number of Licensed Bunker Surveyors
The latest data from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) shows there are a total of 49 licensed bunker surveyors in Singapore, a slight decrease from 51 in January.
As Ship & Bunker reported in September - ahead of the January 1, 2017 implementation of mandatory use of Mass Flow Meters (MFMs) for Singapore bunkering operations - small and medium sized bunker surveyor companies in Singapore were said to be looking to overseas opportunities as the regulations were expected to dampen demand for surveying services.
The latest numbers, however, suggest that the need for bunker surveyors is still very much present in the Singapore market.
Indeed, late last month, Ship & Bunker reported piping irregularities had been identified on some bunker tankers, highlighting that even with MFMs there is an ongoing need for competent surveying services.
"Surveyors need to check the piping system and its sealings plus the system integrity of the MFM system during the course of delivery," Simon Neo, Regional Manager in Asia for the International Bunker Industry Association (IBIA), has told Platts.
"This cannot be done by the crew as they are not trained or don't have the time to check as the engineers will be too busy.
Following the news in March that MPA had suspended the harbour craft licences of five bunker tankers due to irregularities associated with their MFM setup, IBIA said it welcomed MPA's efforts to ensure the integrity of MFM systems in Singapore.
