A Singapore court has fined local firm New Ocean Maritime for providing bunkering delivery services in the port of Singapore without possessing a valid bunker craft operator licence, according to the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).
A fine of SGD81,000 ($57,100) was imposed on New Ocean Maritime for operating without a MPA issued and approved bunker craft operator licence between 3 January 2015 and 28 March 2015.
“New Ocean Maritime was also found to have used the bunker craft operator licence that was issued to Seaquest Tanker for providing services in the port,” MPA said in a statement.
“Seaquest Tanker’s bunker craft operator licence was revoked by MPA last year on 26 April 2016 for the company’s involvement with New Ocean Maritime. Investigations showed that its actions had breached the terms and conditions of the licence,” the port authority said.
The MPA requires that all bunkering services providers in the port of Singapore to apply for and acquire bunker craft operator licences to operate their bunker tankers or bunker supplier licences to sell bunker fuels.
The licensing requirement by MPA is to “safeguard Singapore’s reputation as a trusted and reliable bunkering hub”, and the MPA reiterated that it “adopts a zero tolerance approach towards bunkering malpractices and will not hesitate to take action against any unlicensed entity operating in the port of Singapore.”
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