The Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) of Singapore has imposed a new rule on its bunker suppliers requiring them to demonstrate the environmental credentials of biofuel blends.
All bunker suppliers and bunker craft operators licensed to operate in Singapore will be required to issue a 'proof of sustainability' document from a recognised scheme along with the bunker delivery note when supplying biofuel blends, the MPA said in a circular on Monday.
Copies of the documents need to be issued to the MPA as well as the receiving vessel, and the MPA will conduct random checks on suppliers.
The circular refers to the International Civil Aviation Organization's list of approved sustainability certification schemes. which currently lists the ISCC and RSB as approved.
"This circular is for an interim period only, until a more comprehensive method is developed for international shipping to calculate a fuel's Emission Conversion Factor reflecting the emissions based on the LCA Guidelines by the IMO," the MPA said.
Singapore saw a total of 43,000 mt of biofuel blend supply operations last month, up from 19,800 mt a year earlier.