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Norwegian firm Vimex AS, says it has developed a product that is simple to install and enables bunker buyers to accurately measure the amount of fuel that is taken onboard.

Known as Fuel Bunker Control, the main element of the system is an electronic coriolis-type fuel meter, which measures kilos, litres, density and the temperature of fuel that is bunkered.

The product is said to only register the oil which is bunkered, without being influenced by air or gas in the fuel. The claimed accuracy of +/-0.1% is said to be maintained without the need for regular maintenance or calibration.

The system is compact and can be installed by the ship’s crew as a retrofit. Its displays can be read onboard or ashore, while the reporting functions provide documentation for use in the event of discrepancies.

Installation involves a simple connection to the vessel’s pipe system, and the bunker quantity can be viewed in real time on the instrument’s display, which shows load, volume, density and temperature of the fuel.

Vimex director Egil Kjeldsen says that the system gives those onboard full control over how much fuel is bunkered, and avoids having to pay for more fuel than the quantity actually received. Normally, fuel quantity onboard is measured by soundings in tanks, based on volumetric measure, while bunkers are invoiced according to weight. The company says that this can lead to inaccuracies. High temperatures or gasses can increase the volume of the fuel load, resulting in the customer paying for more fuel than has actually been delivered.

Vimex says it has received positive feedback from customers, one of whom is said to have saved $27,000 on a single bunkering after a discrepancy was shown up on the invoice. The documentation from the Fuel Bunker Control system provided the data which allowed the parties to reach agreement on the disputed invoice, Kjeldsen said.