SIMIC

The move aims to boost transparency and efficiency to avoid disputes over fuel volumes that sometimes occur during refuelling, referred to as bunkering.

Singapore made mass flow meters compulsory for ship refuelling in 2017 and is the only port to have done so.

"The Port of Rotterdam Authority has indeed conducted research into quantity issues in the Rotterdam bunker port. It intends to make the use of mass flow meters mandatory in Rotterdam on behalf of bunkering fuel for maritime shipping," said the Port of Rotterdam.

The port expects to be able to provide more details by the end of the year.

The mass flow meter bunker system accurately measures the amount of bunker oil supplied as fuel to sea-going vessels.

32 companies are operating in the Dutch bunker market, with 170 ships used for bunkering.

Bunker sales volumes at Rotterdam, including bio-blended bunker fuels, breached 10 million tonnes in 2021.