PORT MARINE CIRCULAR No. 11 OF 2023 ISSUANCE OF A PROOF OF SUSTAINABILITY WITH THE BUNKER DELIVERY NOTE FOR BIO-FUEL DELIVERIES TO SHIPS ENGAGED IN INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING IN THE PORT OF SINGAPORE

MARITIME AND PORT AUTHORITY OF SINGAPORE

PORT MARINE CIRCULAR

No. 11 OF 2023

16 October 2023

Bunker Suppliers / Bunker Craft Operators

Shipping Community

ISSUANCE OF A PROOF OF SUSTAINABILITY WITH THE BUNKER DELIVERY NOTE

FOR BIO-FUEL DELIVERIES TO SHIPS ENGAGED IN INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING IN

THE PORT OF SINGAPORE

1. This circular serves to inform all bunker suppliers and bunker craft operators licensed

by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) on the requirements to issue a Proof

of Sustainability (POS) from a recognised scheme together with the Bunker Delivery Note

when biofuel is supplied to vessels in the Port of Singapore.

1. This circular should be read in conjunction with PMC 21 of 2022 – Supply of biofuel

within the Port of Singapore to vessels, where amongst other requirements, bunker suppliers

had been encouraged to supply International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC)

certified biofuel.

1. The 80th session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) of the

International Maritime Organization (IMO) approved the “Interim guidance on the use biofuels

under regulations 26, 27 and 28 of MARPOL Annex VI (IMO DCS and CII1)”. This was

promulgated via MEPC.1/Circ.905 for application from 01 October 2023. The circular is

attached as Annex A.

1. Arising from MEPC.1/Circ.905, from 01 October 2023, MPA licensed bunker suppliers,

at the request of their customers or the Master/owner of the receiving vessel, must provide a

1 DCS - Data Collection System / CII - Carbon Intensity Indicator

POS or similar documentation2 from a recognised scheme3 together with the Bunker Delivery

Note (BDN).

1. When a POS or similar documentation is provided to the receiving vessel, the bunker

supplier must also provide to MPA Standards and Investigation – Marine Fuel (SIMF)

Department (i.e. bsd@mpa.gov.sg) a copy of such documentation. MPA will conduct random

checks and contact the bunker suppliers for additional details as and when necessary.

1. This circular is for an interim period only, until a more comprehensive method is

developed for international shipping to calculate a fuel's Emission Conversion Factor

reflecting the emissions based on the LCA Guidelines by the IMO. For the nationally

determined contributions to emission reduction for the national emission reduction goals and

the use of biofuels for harbourcraft where the greenhouse gas emissions are reported, the

relevant factors used can be referenced to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

(IPCC) 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories.

1. For calculation of the CO Emission Conversion Factor (C) for international shipping,

2 f

suppliers are to adopt the calculation methodology set out in MEPC.1/Circ.905.

1. Should you have any queries, please write to us at bsd@mpa.gov.sg or

shipping@mpa.gov.sg.

CAPT DAKNASH GANASEN

SENIOR DIRECTOR (OPERATIONS & MARINE SERVICES)

for CHIEF EXECUTIVE

MARITIME AND PORT AUTHORITY OF SINGAPORE

2 As there is currently no agreed methodology at the IMO, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore does not

validate or review such documentation.

3 International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO's) “Approved Sustainability Certification Schemes” and the Carbon

Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) sustainability criteria (Chapter 2) for CORSIA

eligible fuels.

ANNEX

E

4 ALBERT EMBANKMENT

LONDON SE1 7SR

Telephone: +44 (0)20 7735 7611 Fax: +44 (0)20 7587 3210

MEPC.1/Circ.905

24 July 2023

INTERIM GUIDANCE ON THE USE OF BIOFUELS UNDER REGULATIONS 26, 27

AND 28 OF MARPOL ANNEX VI (DCS AND CII)

1 The Marine Environment Protection Committee, at its eightieth session (3 to 7 July 2023),

approved the Interim guidance on the use of biofuels under regulations 26, 27 and 28 of MARPOL

Annex VI (DCS and CII), as set out in the annex.

2 Member Governments are invited to bring the annexed Interim Guidance to the

attention of their Administrations, shipowners, ship operators, fuel oil suppliers and any other

interested relevant stakeholders concerned for application as of 1 October 2023.

***

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MEPC.1/Circ.905

Annex, page 1

ANNEX

INTERIM GUIDANCE ON THE USE OF BIOFUELS UNDER REGULATIONS 26, 27

AND 28 OF MARPOL ANNEX VI (DCS AND CII)

1 The 2022 Guidelines on operational carbon intensity indicators and the calculation

methods (resolution MEPC.352(78) CII Guidelines, G1) provide the possibility for the CO

2

Emission Conversion Factor (C) to be obtained from the fuel oil supplier, supported by

f

documentary evidence, in case the type of the fuel oil is not covered by the relevant guidelines.

2 Pending the development of the comprehensive method to account for well-to-wake

GHG emissions and removals based on the Guidelines on life cycle GHG intensity of marine

fuels (LCA Guidelines) (resolution MEPC 376(80)), biofuels that have been certified by an

international certification scheme,* meeting its sustainability criteria, and that provide a

well-to-wake GHG emissions reduction of at least 65% compared to the well-to-wake

emissions of fossil MGO of 94 gCO e/MJ (i.e. achieving an emissions intensity not

2

exceeding 33 gCO e/MJ) according to that certification, may be assigned a C equal to the

2 f

value of the well-to-wake GHG emissions of the fuel according to the certificate (expressed in

gCO eq/MJ) multiplied by its lower calorific value (LCV, expressed in MJ/g) for the purpose of

2

regulations 26, 27 and 28 of MARPOL Annex VI for the corresponding amount of fuels

consumed by the ship. In any case, the C value of a biofuel cannot be less than 0. For blends,

f

the C should be based on the weighted average of the C for the respective amount of fuels

f f

by energy.

3 A Proof of Sustainability or similar documentation from a recognized scheme should

be provided along with the Bunker Delivery Note, to facilitate the verification of the reported

biofuel consumption.

4 Biofuels not certified as ʺsustainableʺ or not fulfilling the well-to-wake emission factor

criterion above should be assigned a C equal to the C of the equivalent fossil fuel type.

f f

5 This guidance should be considered as an interim simplified method until a more

comprehensive method is developed to calculate a fuel's Emission Conversion Factor

reflecting its well-to-wake GHG emissions and removals based on the LCA Guidelines.

This guidance does not intend to prejudge or delay the process of developing such a

comprehensive method.

6 This Interim Guidance will be rescinded immediately upon operationalization of a

well-to-wake GHG methodology through the LCA Guidelines.

7 Administrations are invited to inform the Committee on which international certification

schemes have been used when applying this guidance.

___________

 Refer to ICAO's Approved Sustainability Certification Schemes and the CORSIA Sustainability Criteria

(chapter 2) for CORSIA Eligible Fuels

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