The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has confirmed that all bunkering services at its ports will be required to be performed digitally from 1 April 2025, with electronic bunker delivery notes (e-BDNs) to be issued by default.
The announcement follows successful pilots conducted since 1 November 2023 with bunker suppliers in Singapore, when MPA fist launched launch its digital bunkering initiative and become the first port in the world to support e-BDNs.
The IMO formally approved the use of e-BDNs during the 80th session of the MEPC (Marine Environment Protection Committee) in July 2023, provided they meet the relevant requirements of MARPOL Annex VI.
The digital bunkering process allows for data sharing between bunker buyers and suppliers, which MPA expects will expedite administrative processes, improve accountability, ensure compliance with regulations, reduce the potential for errors, and support early detection of fraudulent activities.
To further improve transparency and transaction integrity in bunkering operations, MPA says it also plans to introduce a centralised e-BDN record verification facility, which will enables stakeholders to verify the e-BDN received against the information transmitted to MPA.
In support of these changes, Enterprise Singapore (EnterpriseSG), through the Singapore Standards Council (SSC), is launching a new Singapore Standard (SS) 709 Specification for Digital Bunkering Supply Chain Documentation, to ensure data consistency and interoperability between digital systems. A revised Singapore Standard (SS) 648 Code of Practice for Bunker Mass Flow Metering will also include data integrity and transmission requirements in line with this new digital standard.
In related news, MPA has also announced the upcoming launch of two new AI-driven applications, DocuMind and DocuMatch, designed to improve the accuracy and efficiency of renewals for Singapore-registered ship certificates.
Due to be introduced on 1 January 2025, DocuMind uses multi-modal Large Language Models to read information from various document formats, while DocuMatch can then verify the relevant data against internal databases and recommend application approvals.
