People’s Network Zhoushan, October 23 (Fang Pengyimeng) Yesterday afternoon, the Global Marine Fuel Industry Development Special Session of the 8th Oil Traders Conference was held in Zhoushan, Zhejiang. This session was themed “Digital Intelligence Leads the Way, Jointly Shaping a New Marine Fuel Ecosystem.”
During the session, multiple significant industry achievements in the marine fuel field were released, covering technological innovation, model exploration, and standard construction. Participants reached broad consensus on important topics such as how to empower traditional businesses through digital intelligence technology, accelerate the application of clean energy in the marine fuel sector, and build a synergistic and win-win green, low-carbon industrial chain.
At the session, the “2024 Top Ten Global Bunkering Ports” and “Top Ten Global Bunkering Enterprises” rankings were released. Singapore continues to hold the leading position among global bunkering ports, while Zhoushan firmly maintains its position as the fourth globally, with its bunkering volume closely following Fujairah, which ranks third. In the enterprise rankings, China Marine Bunker (PetroChina) Co., Ltd. rose to the top globally, highlighting the core competitiveness and rapid growth capability of Chinese enterprises in this field.
It is reported that this year marks the fifth consecutive year of the “Double Top Ten” (Top Ten Global Bunkering Ports and Top Ten Global Bunkering Enterprises) ranking since its initial launch in 2020. This selection has garnered widespread attention from the global shipping industry and consistent recognition from industry peers due to its professionalism and authority.
At the meeting, Cui Yiling, Deputy Director of the Zhoushan High-tech Industrial Park Management Committee, released the “Ten Major Achievements” and “Ten Major Measures” of Zhoushan’s efforts to build a global bonded marine fuel bunkering center with the “highest efficiency, lowest cost, and optimal service.” According to statistics, from January to September this year, Zhoushan’s bunkering volume reached 6.06 million tons, a year-on-year increase of over 11%, accounting for approximately 39.5% of the national total bunkering volume.
The “Zhoushan Bonded Marine Fuel Full-Process Digital Handover Promotion Plan” was officially released at the meeting, marking a new journey for Zhoushan in promoting paperless, digital handover from pilot exploration to comprehensive promotion. The plan will be implemented in phases: in 2025, pilot the implementation of e-BDN handover for bonded marine fuel bunkering and release the Zhejiang local standard “Specification for Marine Fuel Oil Bunkering Based on Coriolis Mass Flow Meters,” laying the technical standard foundation; in 2026, trial the guaranteed mechanism for handling quantity disputes in electronic handover of bonded marine fuel bunkering and comprehensively upgrade the mass flow meters on ships; in 2027, achieve full coverage of mass flow meter system certification for bunker barges and build the first port in China with comprehensive e-BDN handover capability.
At the session, multiple projects across two batches were successively signed and finalized. The first batch of signings focused on the application of green new energy, including the successful signing of the “Liquid Ammonia Bunkering Project” between Zhoushan High-tech Zone and Jiangsu Andefu & Belgian Shipping, and the “Green Methanol Marine Fuel Supply Cooperation” reached between China Marine Bunker and several enterprises. The second batch of signings concentrated on the implementation of digital applications. Sinopec, PetroChina, and China Shipping Bunker respectively partnered with barge companies such as Oriental Tongzhou, Shihua Nanyou, Jinhui Shipping, Yifengrun Shipping, and Zhejiang Qichen, as well as two digital technology service providers, Dazong Yihang and Dazong Shuke, to formally reach a series of cooperation agreements on the widespread application of the “e-BDN Digital Handover System.”
During the keynote speech session, experts from institutions including Sinopec Fuel Oil and Belgian Shipping shared cutting-edge insights and experiences on topics such as fuel supply. In the subsequent roundtable forum, guests from China Merchants Energy Shipping, PetroChina Fuel Oil, and other units discussed the theme “Digital Transformation of Marine Fuel Handover: Efficiency, Trust, and Regulatory Challenges.” The guests shared their views from different perspectives, providing diverse viewpoints and practical paths for the digital transformation of the shipping industry.
This special session provided an interactive platform for the global bunkering industry to exchange ideas and jointly plan for development. In the future, Zhoushan will advance deeper reforms and expand higher-level openness in the marine fuel bunkering industry with greater determination and confidence.
