(EnergyAsia, October 20, Monday) — SPRING Singapore and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) have jointly launched the “Singapore Standard SS 600: 2008 – Code of Practice for Bunkering” standard, to enhance consistency in practices in the delivery of bunkers for ships calling at the country’s port.

The launch of the new national standard for bunker suppliers and surveyors – a first in the world – was announced by Raymond Lim, Minister for Transport and Second Minister for Foreign Affairs, at the Singapore International Bunkering Conference (SIBCON 2008) last week.

The SS 600 standard sets out guidelines and procedures to ensure that the correct quality and quantity of bunkers are being delivered safely and efficiently. By enhancing the procedures and requirements for the delivery of bunkers by bunker tankers to vessels as well as the work of bunker surveyors, SS 600 will boost Singapore’s position as a leader in the bunkering industry.

The MPA said: “SS 600 will be enforced by MPA for all bunkering operations and bunker surveying works in Singapore. This standard which will replace the two current standards: SS CP 60: 2004 (‘Bunkering by Bunker Tankers’) and SS CP 77: 1999 (‘Bunker Surveying’) will be adopted by the bunkering industry in the second half of 2009.”

Besides obtaining a licence from the MPA to conduct bunkering business in Singapore’s port, bunker suppliers, craft operators and surveyors will have to comply with SS 600 when carrying out their operations. The standard will also serve as the technical basis for resolution in the event of disputes.

Tay Lim Heng, MPA’s chief executive, said: “The bunkering industry is an important component of Singapore’s maritime cluster, and an integral part of the country’s growth as a premier global hub port and an international maritime centre. We constantly review our bunker quality and quantity measures, with inputs from various stakeholders, to maintain our status as the top bunkering port with the highest standards. By offering greater assurance to our global customers when they call at our port to lift bunkers, SS 600 will foster further development of the bunkering industry here.”

Png Cheong Boon, SPRING Singapore chief executive, said: “The successful development of SS 600 as a quality standard for the bunkering industry has enhanced our companies’ capabilities and increased their competitiveness internationally. We are pleased that this standard will also be used as a benchmark for the development of an ISO standard for bunkering, as this is a strong recognition of Singapore’s position as a top bunkering port and our companies’ leadership in this industry.”

S. S. Teo, President of Singapore Shipping Association (SSA), said: “In 1992, the SSA, in association with various industry stakeholders developed the Singapore Bunkering Procedure (SBP), a first of its kind in the world for the bunkering industry. We are proud that the SSA’s works have borne fruits as the SBP has evolved into an internationally well known Singapore Standard CP 60. The SS CP 60 is now further enhanced to incorporate bunker surveying requirements to become SS 600.

“Ships calling at Singapore for bunkers can be assured of the required quantity and quality of bunkers if both buyers and sellers, as well as bunker surveyors, follow all the requirements in the SS 600 closely.”

SS 600 combines the requirements of SS CP 60 and SS CP 77 to form a single document for the bunkering industry. Key changes in the new standard include the requirement to make declaration on meeting the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) regulation to prevent air pollution from ships, to enhance sample integrity, and to standardise all bunkering documents to reduce disputes.

To help the bunkering industry better understand the requirements of the new standard, SPRING will be organising a workshop on SS 600 in November 2008 with standards experts as the speakers. MPA will also be working with the Singapore Shipping Association (SSA) to continue providing training to help the bunkering industry meet the requirements of SS 600.

SS 600 was developed by the National Technical Committee on Bunkering under the Singapore standardisation programme led by SPRING Singapore. The committee comprised representatives from MPA, the Singapore Shipping Association (SSA), Singapore Chamber of Maritime Arbitration (SCMA), International Bunker Industry Association (IBIA), International Association of Independent Tanker Owners (INTERTANKO), bunker suppliers, shipping companies and testing laboratories.

More than 1,000 participants attended SIBCON 2008, making it the largest gathering in the world for marine fuels professionals. It was organised by MPA to enable the industry to share information and discuss issues pertaining to the world bunkering industry.