Singapore bunker surveyor numbers steady after shift to mass flow meters

Singapore bunker surveyor numbers steady after shift to mass flow meters
bunker

The number of bunker surveyor companies in Singapore has remained largely steady since the introduction of mass flow meters in January, defying predictions the move would result in a sharp contraction.

The total number of licensed bunker surveyor companies stands at 49 in April, compared with 51 in January, latest Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore data showed.

The total also includes a new entrant; Fujairah-based Viking Marine Services expanded to Singapore in February.

An incident in March, in which the MPA temporarily suspended Panoil Petroleum’s five bunker tankers over piping irregularities, highlighted the importance of surveyors, sources said.

“System integrity is key and is one of the crucial factors because there is no limit to how much can be lost,” said Metcore International’s managing director Darrick Pang.

“Surveyors need to check the piping system and its sealings plus the system integrity of the MFM system during the course of delivery. 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,” said the International Bunker Industry Association’s regional manager for Asia, Simon Neo.

Orion Marine International and ED Marine Surveyors were not included in the MPA’s list of licensed bunker surveyor companies as of April 4, while Altoncrest Group dropped off the list in February.

All three had provisional licenses that expired March 31.

Fourteen of the 51 companies on the list on January 3 had provisional licenses valid until the end of March; a full-fledged license is valid January 1 to December 31, 2017.

Source: Platts