TFG Marine deploys Jamaica's first MFM-equipped bunker barge

Bunker supplier TFG Marine has fitted its bunker barge with a mass flow meter (MFM) system ahead of operations in Jamaica with local partner Scott Petroleum.

IMAGE: The Kingston Trader bunker barge, fitted with a Coriolis mass flow meter system. TFG Marine

The barge, Kingston Trader, is currently enroute after the installation of a Coriolis MFM system certified to ISO 22192. The company said it will be the first bunkering vessel in the region equipped with the technology.

MFMs measure the mass of fuel directly as it passes through the meter during a bunker transfer. By recording delivered quantities in real time, they reduce the scope for measurement errors and quantity disputes between suppliers and buyers.

TFG Marine plans to work with the Maritime Authority of Jamaica, the Port Authority of Jamaica, state-owned refiner Petrojam and other stakeholders. The aim is to share its experience of MFMs and support the development of bunkering standards in the region.

The installation brings the share of TFG Marine's fleet equipped with MFMs to about 88%. That puts it close to the company's target of fitting nearly 90% of its global bunkering fleet with the meters by 2026.

TFG Marine had more than half of its bunker barges equipped with MFMs by January 2024.

Earlier this month, the supplier equipped two more barges serving the US Gulf Coast, the Buffalo B414 and Buffalo B304. Its Gulf Coast rollout began in July last year with the Buffalo 404.

In 2023, TFG Marine backed the MFM mandate that took effect in Rotterdam and Antwerp-Bruges this year.

By Gautamee Hazarika

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