Digitalisation, supported by developments in artificial intelligence (AI), electronic bunker delivery note (e-BDN) and online bunker fuel procurement platforms, will have an increased role to play within the shipping industry’s future, panellists told delegates attending the Marine Fuels 360 conference in Singapore on Tuesday (7 October).
Tue Nielsen, Chief Executive Officer ofOfiniti, a provider of digital solutions for maritime bunker operations, was moderating the session ‘e-BDN’ comprising of a shipowner and online bunker procurement platform when the following observations were recorded.
Tue Nielsen, Chief Executive Officer,Ofiniti
“We all love to talk about AI, automation, and digital workflows. But in bunkering we’re often skipping step one: digitalising documentation. E-BDN isn’t just about replacing a piece of paper; it’s about trust – in data, in operations, and in the entire supply chain,” stated Nielsen.
“At Ofiniti, we live by a motto called HAO (好), which stands for Humble, Ambitious, Obsessed. We aim to be humble by acknowledging the need for improvement, be ambitious by going beyond mere compliance, and be obsessed with details to ensure we are doing things right.”
Nielsen pointed Singapore has taken a bold lead globally by making e-BDN mandatory and implementation at this scale means dealing with new workflows, training, and alignment across stakeholders.
However, e-BDN is more than a compliance checkbox. He expects bunker procurement to be more complex in shipping’s multi-fuel future when greener marine fuels such as liquefied natural gas, methanol and ammonia are included in the mix.
Further, Nielsen shared the maritime sector cannot expect AI to solve what has not been digitalised.
“E-BDN is step one and the foundation for what follows.”
Following the principles of HAO (好), he urged the bunkering and shipping sectors to be:
- Humble enough to fix what’s broken,
- Ambitious enough to go beyond compliance, and
- Obsessed enough to get it right for everyone -from bridge to barge.
Richard Ho,General Manager, Fuel Department,Ocean Network Express (ONE)
Ho noted the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA)’s mandateto implement electronic bunker delivery note (e-BDN) operations from 1 April 2025has created a reliable foundation for ONE’s digitalisation strategy.
“Before the e-BDN mandatory implementation, many trials were conducted. The entire bunkering and documentation process had to be unlearned and relearned, which was the biggest challenge,” he shared.
“Today, the vessel crews are very happy with the new system, and they have shared positive experiences and feedback.If this e-BDN is adopted globally, it would be verybeneficial.
“The transition from traditional documentation to more reliable digital methods has been crucial. Previously, manual data entry was prone to errors, but now, with improved documentation, these issues are resolved. This shift has enabled ONE to now explore AI and that has reshaped our digitalisation strategy.”
Kenneth Juhls,Chief Executive Officer,AuctionConnect
Similarly, Juhls believed e-BDN to be an important factor for helping the shipping industry digitise.
“The e-BDN is crucial for digitalising the complex, multi-fuel delivery process.
We are now capturing a lot of data that is valuable to both bunker suppliers and buyers,” he noted.
“For bunker buyers, the operational aspect is one of the most important things; they need assurance that the right marine fuel will be delivered accurately and on time. They are willing to pay a premium for the value-add from the bunker supplier.
“We believe in servicing that data to build a positive feedback loop. While relationships will continue to drive this industry, you need a strong co-pilot like software to help navigate it.”
Moving forward, Juhls stated the biggest challenge for online marine fuel procurement platforms such as AuctionConnect is creating trust and transparency.
“Bunker suppliers are often hesitant to share their prices on a platform, preferring traditional methods like WhatsApp. However, I cannot imagine that in 10 years, the shipping industry will still be using WhatsApp to trade oil worth $200 billion a year. Something must change,” he highlighted.
“This doesn’t mean relationships won’t matter; it just means there will be an alternative, smarter way to trade, like other mature commodity markets. My most exciting challenge is to figure out how to collaborate to solve real-world problems while allowing everyone to defend their margins and win business, just in a smarter way.”
