VISWA BUNKER QUANTITY SURVEYS (BQS), REMAINING ON BOARD (ROB) and SLUDGE SURVEYS (SS) |
It is important to note that disputes on bunker quantity are about 8 times that of disputes on quality. When a fuel is being transferred from a refinery storage tank to another storage tank and then to a barge and then transferred to a ship, there is a lot of scope for errors and deliberate manipulations that will result in a difference between the quantity claimed to have been supplied and the quantity claimed to have been received by the ship.
This is where BQS and the competence and integrity with which it is performed become critical.
Viswa Lab is the one of the few labs accredited to ISO 17020 by Singapore Accreditation Council for the Bunker Quantity Survey Activity. ISO 17020 is an internationally recognized standard for the competence of inspection bodies. Viswa Lab Surveyors are fully trained and in Singapore they are certified and they go through rigorous filtration process for competence, integrity, fair mindedness and leadership. They are required to stay on the vessel through the entire period of bunkering and to take measurements before and after for both the barge and the vessel, use their own measuring tapes and digital thermometers thereby ruling out problems such as cappuccino bunkers, hidden fuels and quantity disputes. The measurements, calculations and all relevant data are entered in elaborate documentation and signed by all parties. An interim report is issued immediately. After the density and water are counterchecked in the lab, the full report is issued. Many owners ask Viswa Lab also to carry out ROB (Remaining on Board) and Sludge Surveys in order to further curtail potential manipulations and malpractices with regard to the quantity of fuel on board and to eliminate any nexus between ship staff and supply barge. The entire operation is managed through very efficient software so that there are no loose ends. Surveyors provide a truthful account of the happenings on the ship without fear or favor. Viswa Lab has quickly established itself as a leader in Singapore and is expanding its activities in Europe and US. This service is provided for over 3,000 bunkerings annually mostly using own surveyors and a few close associates. Viswa Lab is working on installing its professional surveyors at all major ports globally We are routinely asked to carry out BQS even in cases where the recently introduced Coriolis instruments are in place. The BQS activity is consistent with Viswa Labs motto of Integrity, Quality and Customer Satisfaction. |
THE LAB
Creative Ideas and R&D
Viswa Lab believes that when customers suffer fuel-related problems, they should be provided with all possible assistance. With this objective in view, Viswa Lab is equipped with state of the art instruments to identify and quantify contaminants and adulterants in fuel as well as to determine in-depth Ignition & Combustion properties of the fuel. All fuel problems are also connected to lubes, cylinder oils, material properties of the machinery, etc. In order that the customer with a problem finds a complete solution under one roof, Viswa Lab provides the following services.
Bunker fuel oil analysis | |
Lube oil analysis |
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Tribology and particle morphology studies | |
Ignition & Combustion studies (Fuel Tech instrument) | |
Under piston cylinder oil drain analysis | |
Material Failure analysis | |
Bunker Quantity Surveys in major ports | |
Special packages of services | |
Total Fuel Management | |
Support for Bunker dispute and bunker claims | |
R&D in marine fuels and marine diesel engines |
Special Package of Services
Since 1991, Viswa Lab has established itself as a problem solving lab specializing in Total Fuel Management (TFM). Major shipping companies who use fuel testing services of competitors still send all their problem fuels to Viswa Lab for detailed investigation. As a part of this, we offer six packages:
BUNKER FUELS – IDENTIFYING AND QUANTIFYING CONTAMINANTS / ADULTERANTS
– Nine (9) specialized non-standard investigations using state of the art instrumentation offered through Viswa Lab.
ASSET PROTECTION
through CBM (Condition Based Maintenance program)CONDITION MONITORING
(for asset protection, meeting classification requirements)QUANTIFICATION OF FUEL QUALITY AND FUEL WORTH TO HELP WITH FUEL PURCHASE
(A proprietary fuel quality indexing services consisting of Engine Friendliness Number and True Worth Index – published in Bunkerworld.com, well-known published data in proprietary to Viswa Lab)
MONITORING AND MANIPULATION OF MACHINERY PERFORMANCE
(Optimizing fuel consumption using continuous performance monitoring with each fuel bunkered)ENERGY MANAGEMENT:
Energy Audits, Energy Advisory Services.Viswa Lab has labs in Houston and Singapore. Together, both labs facilitate service to customers on either ends of the globe. Customer satisfaction, quality, speed of service and economical rates, are the primary driving principles of Viswa Lab . Commitment to technical excellence and state-of-the-art technology continue to define the image of Viswa Lab .
THE TEAM
Viswa Lab consists of a dynamic, entrepreneurial team of scientists, engineers, and support professionals with a long-standing reputation for technical excellence in the field of Fuel oils, Lubes, Hydraulic oils, Environmental analysis, NDE, and Failure Analysis.
Viswa Lab has been testing fuels since 1991. During this period petroleum products and engineering materials have been tested by VL using the latest instruments and to the highest level of quality and accuracy. Innumerable failure analysis studies have been carried out by VL to determine the cause of material failure and fuel related failure.
Viswa Lab has created a niche position for itself with a one stop shop concept of chemical testing, mechanical testing, destructive testing, non-destructive testing to determine the cause of a failure or the prognosis of a machinery related problem. The fuel buyer will not have to go to different places to get all aspects of a failure analysed.
Dr. Vis, whose name the lab carries, is a Phd. In Metallurgical Engineering, a Masters in Internal Combustion Engineering and a Bachelors in Marine Engineering. He has worked as Chief Engineer on ships, Senior Surveyor to the classification society American Bureau of Shipping.
Since 1991, he has been associated with the materials evaluation activity of metals, composites and petroleum products. It is this unique combination of all three facets that has propelled him as one of the top experts in this field.