The Singapore registered 50,595 dwt container ship Kota Layang became the first ship to bunker in Singapore using a mass flow meter, Ship & Bunker reports.
Singapore saw its first commercial delivery using a Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) approved mass flow meter on Wednesday, a joint statement by the MPA and ExxonMobil Marine Fuels (EMMF) has said.
The transfer of fuel took place on 11 July, 2012 between the bunker tanker MT Emissary, whose approvals to use mass flow metering were received on June 1, 2012, and the Singapore registered 50,595 dwt container ship Kota Layang.
"The transfer of bunkers using the mass flow metering system as another official custody measurement of bunker quantity is a significant milestone for the bunkering industry in Singapore," the statement said.
Mass flow metering systems measure the mass flow rate of bunker fuel passing through a tube in order to measure the quantity of fuel delivered and a Singapore-based bunker trader was quoted Thursday as saying the readings are "pretty accurate."
The commonly used method is sounding tape, which measures quantity readings from the barge fuel tank prior to transfer to the receiving vessel.
"ExxonMobil believes that the mass flow metering solution will further increase the efficiency and transparency of the bunkering process," EMMF's Asia Pacific General Manger Damon Davis said.
Some traders were said to be skeptical about mass flow metering pointing out it sets a quantity tolerance of 0.5% compared to a 0.1% tolerance level used in manual surveying methods.
Another concern was the cost, with a bunker trader telling Platts the meter can cost "a few hundred thousand dollars and one barge would likely require two devices on board."
"Also, there is the additional cost of reconstructing the barge line to fit the device," they added.
So far the MT Emissary is the only barge to have received approval to install a mass flow meter and while the MPA has not mandated the use of the mass flow metering in Singapore, it has made $1 million available for research and development into the devices.
"It is important to leverage on technology to enhance the efficiency and transparency of the bunker delivery process. We have set aside $1 million from the Maritime Innovation and Technology Fund to support research, development and testing of mass flow meters for bunkering applications," said MPA's Director for Port Services Dr. Parry Oei.
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