MPA updates guidance to prevent bunker-related oil spills

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has updated its bunkering guidance in an attempt to reduce bunkering-related oil spills in the port, and warned of penalties for those involved in bunker operations with an oil spill.

PHOTO: Cargo terminal at the Port of Singapore. Getty Images

The port authority is of the opinion that bunker-related oil spills are a result of “operational lapses” and are preventable “if all the necessary precautions are taken.”

Revisions in its latest circular include that “a safe anchor watch is maintained” for the anchored vessel while bunkering. The ship must ensure that discharge scuppers are properly plugged, and drip trays are placed in position before starting the bunker operation. Discharge scuppers are openings in the side walls of a vessel that allows water to drain instead of pooling on the deck, while drip trays are used to catch drips and minor spills.

The circular also drew attention to the existing Regulation 7 of the Prevention of Pollution of the Sea Act that enforces a fine “of not less than $1,000 and not more than $1 million” or imprisonment “for a term not exceeding 2 years” or both to anyone found guilty of causing oil spills in Singapore waters.

The other guidelines are virtually the same as in the MPA's previous circular. The authority has also published a list of checks to do “before and during bunkering operations” to prevent oil spills.

The MPA has updated the guidelines for the first time since 2019.

By Tuhin Roy

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