Malaysia's Port Klang Authority announce new bunkering rules
The Port Klang Authority (PKA) in Malaysia has announced new regulations for bunkering at Port Klang's Northport and Westports.
The "Port Klang Bunkering Procedures", drawn up by the Malaysian-state oil company Petronas and the Marine Department, call for ship agents to inform the PKA and terminal operators 24 hours prior to actual bunkering operations.
Another new regulation requires suppliers to complete a safety checklist form for every operation from their bunker vessels and forward the form to the PKA.
The new regulations come into force at the start of next month.
All bunker vessels operating in Port Klang, Malaysia's busiest box port as of 2005, also have to comply with an initial and then annual inspection, as well as a 45 minute inspection before the start of each operation.
The new procedures, especially the 45 minute inspections, have been met with concern by some players.
The general manager of a leading supplier at Port Klang told Bunkerworld that the new regulations would "slow down" his operations.
“We are servicing mostly container ships, which have a fast turnaround time at the port, it will be of no good to anyone concerned for bunkering to be held up,” he explained.
“There are quite a lot of new regulations to follow, so come June 1, definitely things will not be normal, at least for us to get used to the proper procedures,” he said.
But Captain David Rajan Padman, PKA regulatory assistant general manager, told Bunkerworld that suppliers were "pleased with the new procedures" as they are very comprehensive and each party's role in the operations was clearly stated.
Padman said one goal of the new procedures was "to keep track of the number of vessels both supplying as well as receiving bunkers in Port Klang."
"Right now, we don't have data on how many ships come to re-fuel here. Sometimes ships even come in without notifying the port authority," Padman was quoted saying.
He claimed the initial and annual inspections on the barges would "ensure safety standards are maintained which will directly affect the protection of the environment as well as safety of personnel handling the bunkers.”
Padman said the “industry was consulted” and that the regulations had been based on the Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF) and the International Safety Guide for Oil Tankers and Terminals (ISGOTT) guidelines “but tailor-made to suit our needs in Port Klang.”
The Port Klang supplier however, maintained that his company "had not been consulted" and that, as of Tuesday, it had not seen a copy of the new forms that will be in use from June 1.
The "Port Klang Bunkering Procedures", drawn up by the Malaysian-state oil company Petronas and the Marine Department, call for ship agents to inform the PKA and terminal operators 24 hours prior to actual bunkering operations.
Another new regulation requires suppliers to complete a safety checklist form for every operation from their bunker vessels and forward the form to the PKA.
The new regulations come into force at the start of next month.
All bunker vessels operating in Port Klang, Malaysia's busiest box port as of 2005, also have to comply with an initial and then annual inspection, as well as a 45 minute inspection before the start of each operation.
The new procedures, especially the 45 minute inspections, have been met with concern by some players.
The general manager of a leading supplier at Port Klang told Bunkerworld that the new regulations would "slow down" his operations.
“We are servicing mostly container ships, which have a fast turnaround time at the port, it will be of no good to anyone concerned for bunkering to be held up,” he explained.
“There are quite a lot of new regulations to follow, so come June 1, definitely things will not be normal, at least for us to get used to the proper procedures,” he said.
But Captain David Rajan Padman, PKA regulatory assistant general manager, told Bunkerworld that suppliers were "pleased with the new procedures" as they are very comprehensive and each party's role in the operations was clearly stated.
Padman said one goal of the new procedures was "to keep track of the number of vessels both supplying as well as receiving bunkers in Port Klang."
"Right now, we don't have data on how many ships come to re-fuel here. Sometimes ships even come in without notifying the port authority," Padman was quoted saying.
He claimed the initial and annual inspections on the barges would "ensure safety standards are maintained which will directly affect the protection of the environment as well as safety of personnel handling the bunkers.”
Padman said the “industry was consulted” and that the regulations had been based on the Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF) and the International Safety Guide for Oil Tankers and Terminals (ISGOTT) guidelines “but tailor-made to suit our needs in Port Klang.”
The Port Klang supplier however, maintained that his company "had not been consulted" and that, as of Tuesday, it had not seen a copy of the new forms that will be in use from June 1.