Кшвштп on the success of achieving the highest ever bunker sales last month, the bunker industry in Singapore is set to attain even greater heights with the launch of the world's largest purpose-built bunker tanker by Hong Lam Marine yesterday.
The 22,000 deadweight tonne tanker Spectrum, which was launched at Marina at Keppel Bay yesterday and immediately put into service, is a collaboration between Hong Lam and Toyota Tsusho Corp (TTC). The tanker, estimated to cost US$30 million, is believed to be on an eight- year charter with TTC.
Spectrum will enable TTC to better manage its product supply chain and bring it into the big league, hopefully among the top three bunker suppliers. 'In 2006, TTC started looking for a quality and reliable partner to fulfil its pursuit of managing the total supply chain . . . Hong Lam always prides itself on being in the forefront of providing newer and more sophisticated bunker tankers in Singapore and the delivery of the 22,000 DWT largest purpose-built bunker tanker is Hong Lam's commitment to Singapore's bunker industry,' said chief executive Lim Teck Cheng.
The partnership with TTC will extend to a sister vessel of the same size, which will be delivered in Q3. The two bunker tankers will also be mother ships for satellite smaller tankers so as to ease berth congestion in the refineries and terminals here. The vessels will be capable of supplying ships with large parcels of marine fuel, thus ensuring efficient turnaround times.
On the back of the booming bunker industry, the Maritime Port Authority (MPA) also announced a new financial assistance scheme for bunker surveying companies. The scheme will grant bunker surveying companies a one-time 30 per cent financial relief on the assessment fee when they receive their accreditation credentials with the Singapore Accreditation Council (SAC) under the Accreditation Scheme for Inspection Bodies.
Under an initiative announced last year, from Jan 1, 2010, all bunker surveyors will need to be employed by companies that are accredited under the scheme. The financial assistance scheme is expected to benefit more than 70 per cent of bunker surveying companies in Singapore.
Bunker surveying companies play an important role in the bunker supply chain, and a formal and structured accreditation process enhances the accountability and professionalism of bunker surveying companies and also raises the standard of surveying practices in tandem with the increasing demands of the bunkering business.
'The accreditation scheme for bunker surveying companies is an important initiative that we should press on with despite the economic situation,' said MPA chief executive Lam Yi Young. 'MPA's new financial assistance scheme will defray part of the accreditation cost and help them keep to the timeline for accreditation,' he added.
There are currently about 70 bunker surveying companies in Singapore employing a total of some 230 licensed bunker surveyors providing their services in the Port of Singapore.
The 22,000 deadweight tonne tanker Spectrum, which was launched at Marina at Keppel Bay yesterday and immediately put into service, is a collaboration between Hong Lam and Toyota Tsusho Corp (TTC). The tanker, estimated to cost US$30 million, is believed to be on an eight- year charter with TTC.
Spectrum will enable TTC to better manage its product supply chain and bring it into the big league, hopefully among the top three bunker suppliers. 'In 2006, TTC started looking for a quality and reliable partner to fulfil its pursuit of managing the total supply chain . . . Hong Lam always prides itself on being in the forefront of providing newer and more sophisticated bunker tankers in Singapore and the delivery of the 22,000 DWT largest purpose-built bunker tanker is Hong Lam's commitment to Singapore's bunker industry,' said chief executive Lim Teck Cheng.
The partnership with TTC will extend to a sister vessel of the same size, which will be delivered in Q3. The two bunker tankers will also be mother ships for satellite smaller tankers so as to ease berth congestion in the refineries and terminals here. The vessels will be capable of supplying ships with large parcels of marine fuel, thus ensuring efficient turnaround times.
On the back of the booming bunker industry, the Maritime Port Authority (MPA) also announced a new financial assistance scheme for bunker surveying companies. The scheme will grant bunker surveying companies a one-time 30 per cent financial relief on the assessment fee when they receive their accreditation credentials with the Singapore Accreditation Council (SAC) under the Accreditation Scheme for Inspection Bodies.
Under an initiative announced last year, from Jan 1, 2010, all bunker surveyors will need to be employed by companies that are accredited under the scheme. The financial assistance scheme is expected to benefit more than 70 per cent of bunker surveying companies in Singapore.
Bunker surveying companies play an important role in the bunker supply chain, and a formal and structured accreditation process enhances the accountability and professionalism of bunker surveying companies and also raises the standard of surveying practices in tandem with the increasing demands of the bunkering business.
'The accreditation scheme for bunker surveying companies is an important initiative that we should press on with despite the economic situation,' said MPA chief executive Lam Yi Young. 'MPA's new financial assistance scheme will defray part of the accreditation cost and help them keep to the timeline for accreditation,' he added.
There are currently about 70 bunker surveying companies in Singapore employing a total of some 230 licensed bunker surveyors providing their services in the Port of Singapore.