Digital revolution

On 1 January global shipping passed a milestone in the acceleration of digitalisation in  the sector that may have gone unnoticed by many. Under the Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic (FAL), governments are now required to use a single digital platform, the Maritime Single Window, to share and exchange information with ships when they call at ports, effective 1 January 2024.

The intention is to streamline procedures to clear the arrival, stay and departure of ships and greatly enhance the efficiency of shipping worldwide. More than 4.6 million port calls were recorded globally in 2022.

IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said: “Digitalisation is critical for greater efficiency in shipping. The Maritime Single Window delivers information between ships, ports and government agencies quickly, reliably and smoothly.”

Meanwhile, in development directly affecting the bunker sector, the IMO has formally confirmed the use of Bunker Delivery Notes (BDN) in electronic format as an acceptable alternative to the conventional hard copy, if they conform to the regulations of MARPOL Annex VI.

This follows the 80th session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee last July, which agreed an additional unified interpretation to regulations 18.5 and 18.6 of MARPOL Annex VI concerning BDN. It is now included in the updated consolidation circular MEPC.1/Circ.795/Rev.8.

The minimum information to be contained in the BDN remains the same in hard copy or electronic format and is specified in Appendix V of MARPOL Annex VI. An electronic BDN should be protected against any edits/modifications/revisions and a verification method used to make authentication possible. As with a paper BDN, an electronic format must be retained onboard for a period of not less than three years from the date of delivery and made readily available for inspection as required.

IMO notes in a statement: “Certain ports are looking to implement electronic BDN as part of a wider move towards digitalisation, including documentation related to bunkering operations. Ship officers should be aware of these changes such as the method to digitally transfer an electronic BDN from the bunker barge to the receiving ship and the subsequent means to securely retain that electronic record onboard for not less than the required time period.”

In a sign of the way things are going, Singapore’s Maritime & Port Authority has approved several suppliers to trial the use of electronic bunker delivery notes (eBDN).

Vitol Bunkers says, with its logistics arm V-bunkers, it is collaborating with technology company ZeroNorth to enhance the efficiency of the bunkering process in Singapore through digitalisation. V-Bunkers delivered over 7 million tonnes of bunker fuels in 2023 for its customers, which was also a record year for Singapore. Its barges delivered around 190,000 tonnes of biofuels, which is nearly 36% of total biofuels volume delivered in Singapore last year.

Rishab Bahl, Managing Director at V-Bunkers, said: “We have chosen ZeroNorth as our partner to help digitalise our delivery process with their eBDN solution. Their deep domain knowledge, a secure and strong solution, and commitment to continuous investments towards digitalisation align well with our objectives for a global roll-out.”