World Bunkering > News > Autumn 2010 > Bunkering for the desktop

It is often said that there is no substitute for on-the-job training, especially in areas such as bunker operations, where practical, hands-on work is the norm. However, there are many in the industry who may never get their hands dirty in bunker operations such as on a bunker barge, oil terminal or receiving vessel but who, nevertheless, still need to understand exactly how the industry works. This is the gap that Nigel Draffin’s latest book, An Introduction to Bunker Operations, aims to fill.

It explains the basics of bunker operations for those – be they traders, brokers, lawyers, insurance agents, shipmanagers – who need to know the basics of the business that they deal in, without being involved in it on a daily basis. “I know from the questions I have been asked over the years that for most of us, the bunker operations involved seem to throw up problems and restrictions that we do not understand. This book is intended to explain and put the whole process into context,” says Nigel.

The book is filled with photographs, charts and diagrams intended to help the reader visualise important aspects of bunker operations. Starting with a brief history of the industry to put everything into context, it goes on to cover issues from ship design and crewing to delivery by road tanker, pipeline and barge, and all the issues associated with each method of delivery. Quality control issues, including sampling and measurement, are looked at in detail, and a final section looks at dealing with potential problems, including debunkering and pollution prevention and control.

Nigel examines each of the key elements involved in bunker operations, from ordering the right type and amount of fuel, to making sure it is safely delivered and properly accounted for. He covers the paperwork that needs to be done and looks at the various regulations for bunker operations now in place, including MARPOL Annex VI and the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code.

The book includes a vast amount of informed detail on some of those areas in bunker operations that are often ignored – sometimes to great cost and inconvenience – such as variations in flange and hose sizes. Despite this, though, it is clearly laid out and easy to follow, setting out detail where necessary without getting bogged down in it. As with earlier books in the series, there are comprehensive indices and appendices, as well as a useful ‘where to go for help’ section.

“Conveying complicated subject matter in an easily-understood manner is Nigel’s speciality and helps explain his success and popularity as an author, teacher and mentor,” says publisher Llewellyn Bankes-Hughes.

An Introduction to Bunker Operations is Nigel’s third book on bunkering. In May 2008, Petrospot published the first in the series, An Introduction to Bunkering, which provides a comprehensive entry-level introduction to the bunker industry, and is also available in Spanish.

In June 2009, Nigel Draffin’s second book, An Introduction to Fuel Analysis, was published, tapping into a growing thirst for information on bunker quality issues. This book is intended to help anyone who has any doubts about what can be found in marine fuels and, once found, what can be done about it.

An Introduction to Bunker Operations
By Nigel Draffin M.I.Mar.E.S.T.
Published by Petrospot Limited
Website: www.petrospot.com/books