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The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has approved the first vessel of 2017 for mass flow meter (MFM) bunkering.

On 3rd January, the Singapore-flagged Sea Swift was given the go-ahead to carry out marine fuel deliveries with MFM technology. Built in 2003, the oil products tanker is operated by bunker supplier Hong Lam Marine; it has a gross tonnage (grt) of 2,673 tons and a deadweight tonnage (dwt) of 4,998 tons.

According to information provided by the MPA on 6th January, the Sea Swift is the only vessel so far this year to be approved for MFM bunker deliveries.

Since the MPA's update on 28th December, however, the actual number of licensed MFM-equipped vessels has, in fact, decreased. This is because four vessels previously approved for MFM bunkering no longer appear in the MPA's list of licensed bunker tankers. The four vessels are: Pink Diamond (approved 11th March 2016), Giselle (approved 31st December 2014), Poseidon (approved 24th November 2015) and JW Jewel (approved 9th July 2015).

As a result, the total number of MFM-equipped bunker tankers with MPA licenses is now 132, down from 135 on 28th December. The number of licensed bunker tankers in Singapore has also declined - from 212 to 206 - since 28th December. In addition to the four vessels mentioned, the 1,999-grt Eustance and the 4,191-grt Honey Jade no longer hold an 'SB' tanker licence.

Below is a month-by-month breakdown of the number of vessels that have gained MFM approval since January 2016.

Jan 2016 - 2
Feb 2016 - 3
Mar 2016 - 5 (4 still valid)
Apr 2016 - 7
May 2016 - 3
Jun 2016 - 12
Jul 2016 - 7
Aug 2016 - 5
Sep 2016 - 8
Oct 2016 - 9
Nov 2016 - 8
Dec 2016 - 11
Jan 2017 - 1