The North of England P&I Association Limited (North of England P&I) has warned vessel operators that, despite new regulations in Singapore that make the use of Mass Flow Meters mandatory for bunker deliveries, operators should still utilise soundings before and after deliveries.
“The introduction of Mass Flow Meters for bunker operation in Singapore is a welcome development. Unfortunately it appears that although the equipment has changed, the behaviour of some unscrupulous suppliers has not,” said the P&I Club.
The organisation says, with reports that piping irregularities have been identified on some bunker tankers, it is possible that some quantity of bunkers could be syphoned back into the bunker vessel’s tanks during the process of bunkering.
