The UAE Maritime Administration takes decision to ban OCEANEXL FZC from bunker trading
The UAE Maritime Administration has taken the decision to ban OCEANEXL FZC from Bunker trading and supplying fuel to the ships in the UAE waters and ports.
OCEANEXL FZC supplied 700 tons of high Sulphur fuel from their chartered vessel at Khorfakkan port anchorage to a vessel not equipped with Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems (scrubber). In addition, this operation was carried out without obtaining the navigation license from this administration for the vessel to operate in the UAE waters.
OCEANEXL FZC provided false information on the nature of this operation and claimed that it was a cargo ship-to-ship operation and not a bunker operation through an official letter issued by their management to this Maritime Administration and also claimed that they have not issued the Bunker Delivery Note (BDN).
The investigations of the Maritime Administration proved that the information provided by the management of OCEANEXL FZC was not accurate while the receiving ship confirmed that it was bunkering operations, and this was verified by the investigation team while reviewing the electronic correspondence between OCEANEXL FZC and the receiving ship which confirmed prior arrangements were in place for the bunkering operation.
The receiving vessel provided the bunker delivery note issued by OCEANEXL FZC thus contradicting the claim that it has not been issued. The BDN has also been falsified to reflect that the supplied fuel was VLSFO.
Such practices undertaken by OCEANEXL FZC endanger the safety of ships and seafarers, adversely affecting the marine environment, and the bunkering standards in the UAE, in addition to violating the applicable national laws and international conventions, as following:
- Federal Decree-Law No. (43) of 2023 on Maritime Law.
- Federal Law No. (24) of 1999 on the protection and development of the environment.
- Federal Law No. (14) of 2017 on trading in petroleum products.
- Provisions of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) 73/78.
The Maritime Administration has also taken the decision to ban the below mentioned vessel chartered by OCEANEXL FZC within the UAE waters and ports under any ownership.
The UAE Maritime Administration reminds all the companies and the personnel involved in the activities of bunker trading and supplying fuel to ships that zero tolerance policy is adopted when it comes to the companies, personnel, or vessels involved in manipulating the operations of bunkering in terms of the quality and quantity of fuel, tampering with the fuel samples, falsifying Bunker Delivery Note, or providing inaccurate information to the Maritime Administration or Port Authorities about the nature of the operations conducted in order to preserve the safety of ships and seafarers on board and the standard of the bunkering operations in the UAE.
The companies involved in bunkering activities must comply with the legislation, regulations, decisions, and circulars in force to avoid banning their activities in the UAE and enforcing other legal measures.
From the date of this circular, all bunker ships prior to conducting the supply of high-sulphur fuel in the UAE waters and ports must review the International Air Pollution Prevention Certificate (IAPP) of the receiving ship and retain a copy of the certificate, to ensure that it meets the requirements of high-sulphur fuel consumption by having Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems (scrubber).
