Bunker testing company VPS has signed a new strategic partnership with BunkerTrace, a provider of digital tracing systems for marine fuel, which will see VPS bring BunkerTrace’s blockchain and synthetic DNA technology to market starting, with the launch of its Sample Assurance product.
Sample Assurance provides a tamper-proof embedded seal which is added to the sample cubitainer during a VPS Bunker Quantity Survey. Using the BunkerTrace mobile app, VPS surveyors can digitally record the event to prove sample provenance and integrity.
In the event of a dispute, the seals carry a unique code, only detectable with a BunkerTrace detection unit in a VPS lab where the sample will be checked for integrity.
Physically tagging and digitally tracing the collected samples prevents contamination and tampering, maintaining the quality of the samples as evidence and enabling a clear chain of custody to authenticate representative fuel samples.
“The shipping industry, like every other sector, is in the midst of a digital transformation. On top of that, there are also increasing demands for improved governance and greater transparency,” said Steve Bee, Group Commercial & Business Development Director, VPS.
“In partnering with BunkerTrace, VPS is able to meet both those demands head on; leading the transition on the global marine fuel market into an age of more assurance, trust and transparency.”
