Asia/Pacific News
Singapore to Limit Chlorinated Organic Compound Presence in Bunker Fuel
Singapore's authorities are set to limit the presence of chlorinated organic compounds and other contaminants in bunker fuels after contamination problems in 2022.
Singapore's new bunker quality rules will come into effect on June 1 and include rules on chlorinated organic compounds, inorganic acids, polystyrene, polypropylene and polymethacrylate, MPACEO Eng Dih Teo said in a LinkedIn post.
The new rules are as follows:
- Residual & bio-residual bunker fuel do not contain Chlorinated Organic Compounds (COC) above 50mg/kg, & free from inorganic acids. COC can be tested using the EN 14077 accredited test method, while inorganic acids can use the ASTM D664 accredited test method as prescribed in ISO 8217.
- Distillate & bio-distillate bunker marine fuel must be free of inorganic acids which can be tested using the ASTM D664 test method as prescribed in ISO 8217.
- Residual marine fuels are free from polystyrene, polypropylene & polymethacrylate. These can be tested for by filtration, microscopic examination, & Fourier-Transform Infrared spectroscopy analysis.
"As a global bunkering hub, Singapore remains committed to maintaining high quality assurance of fuels delivered, and making bunker deliveries more transparent, efficient and reduce overall business costs to better serve shipowners, charterers & ships of the world," he said.
Chlorinated organic compounds are one of the contaminants thought to have been behind Singapore's bunker contamination problems in early 2022, in which around 200 vessels were affected by contaminated fuel.
The ISO 8217:2024 specifications anticipated to be coming out early this year are also expected to include a clause on chlorinated organic compounds.
