Promoting the digital development of shipping, Shanghai Port has issued the country's first electronic fuel delivery order for ships
On April 1st, it was learned from the Maritime Bureau of Yangshan Port in Shanghai that on the morning of that day, "China Shipbuilding Fuel Co., Ltd." carried out a 1300 ton ship fuel refueling operation for the "China Shipping Global CSCL GLOBE" ship at the Shangdong Port of Yangshan Port, and issued the first electronic fuel delivery order (eBDN) for ships in China, marking the successful implementation of full process digital ship fuel refueling services in Shanghai Port and taking a milestone and important step in promoting the digital development of shipping.
The general process of electronic refueling is as follows: the "Zhonghai Global" ship initiates a refueling request on the international shipping digital ship supply service platform in Lingang New Area, and "China Shipbuilding Fuel Co., Ltd." receives the refueling application, matches the demand, and reaches a contract. During the refueling process, the quality flow meter of the refueling vessel "Tongyin 5005" reads real-time refueling data such as fuel density and refueling volume, and synchronizes it to the international shipping digital ship supply service platform. After the refueling is completed, the electronic fuel delivery note (eBDN) module summarizes all refueling data information, generates eBDN and related electronic documents, and pushes them to the platform for use by maritime, customs and other department systems for online fuel delivery note verification, bonded oil customs declaration verification and other businesses. The shipowner and ship supplier complete settlement and payment based on eBDN, achieving "one-stop acceptance" and full process electronicization.
With the acceleration of digitalization in the global shipping industry, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and major shipping companies have gradually promoted the application of electronic documents. In July 2023, IMO clarified at the 80th meeting of the Marine Environment Protection Committee that member states may apply eBDN as needed when meeting the relevant requirements of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships. The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) officially launched its digital refueling program in November 2023 and will fully implement eBDN from April 1, 2025. The ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp Bruges are also actively promoting digitalization, data sharing, and regulatory collaboration in ship fueling.
In order to effectively fulfill the requirements of international conventions, further strengthen port competitiveness, and enhance global shipping resource allocation capabilities, the Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration, in conjunction with relevant units and enterprises such as the Lingang Management Committee, Customs, China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation, COSCO Shipping Technology Co., Ltd., and Yitong, will sort out the BDN regulations and feasibility of applying eBDN in international conventions and Chinese laws and regulations; Analyze the promotion and progress of eBDN models in global ports such as Singapore, and study the generation path, circulation method, and storage management of eBDN; Conduct research on the supply and demand of ship fuel and new energy fuel refueling, as well as the issuance of fuel delivery orders; Determine the eBDN text template, build a digital platform, standardize the process, complete actual ship tests, and actively carry out eBDN research and pilot projects.
According to the staff of Yangshan Port Maritime Bureau, eBDN has the following three advantages: firstly, it is convenient for both ship owners and suppliers. By directly connecting to the system and automatically verifying data, we can reduce the need for measuring cabins and manual data entry, further improve data exchange efficiency, significantly reduce waiting time for both fuel suppliers and recipients at the port, and promote the dual improvement of port operation efficiency and satisfaction of both parties. The second is to improve accuracy and reliability. By ensuring the authenticity of refueling data and files through data synchronization and multi-party real-time verification, it effectively solves the long-standing problems of human errors, data loss or tampering that are prone to occur in the filling, transmission and archiving process of traditional paper BDNs in the ship fuel supply industry, while greatly improving the transparency, efficiency and reliability of the fuel market. The third is to assist in reducing carbon emissions in shipping. Further improve the efficiency of ship energy consumption data reporting and the accuracy of ship ratings, providing scientific basis for formulating regional emission reduction policies and optimizing ship emission supervision.
The Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration stated that eBDN is an important measure for Shanghai to promote the construction of an international green fuel refueling center. Next, it will further explore the application scenarios of eBDN, strengthen cooperation with the Lingang New Area, customs, shipping companies, fuel supply units and other parties, deepen sharing and governance, and further improve the convenience level of ship fuel refueling in Shanghai Port through the application of eBDN, leading a new direction for the future green development of the shipping industry.