The delivery note and the fuel sample.
Every delivery comes with a bunker delivery note and a fuel sample. Here is what the note must show, how the sample is taken, and how long to keep both.
Last reviewed 30 September 2026. Rules change: check your flag State and the sources below.
- Receiving ship
- MY Aurora · IMO 90000011
- Port and date
- Sint Maarten · 02-OCT-20262
- Product
- Low-sulphur gasoil3
- Quantity
- 10.14 t4
- Density at 15 °C
- 845.0 kg/m³5
- Sulphur
- below 0.20 % m/m6
- Flashpoint
- ≥ 70 °C7
- Sample seal no.
- 0042188
Check the note, then note the dates
Tick each field as you check the delivery note, and enter the delivery date to see how long to keep the note and the sample.
Check your bunker delivery note
The sample is kept until the fuel is substantially used, and for at least 12 months.
What the delivery note must show
MARPOL Annex VI Appendix V sets the minimum content: the receiving ship's name and IMO number, the port, the date delivery began, the supplier's details, the product and quantity in metric tonnes, density at 15 °C, sulphur content, and a signed declaration that the fuel meets the applicable sulphur limit.
Since 1 May 2024 the note must also show the flashpoint: the measured value, or a statement that it was measured at or above 70 °C.
Electronic delivery notes are accepted if they are protected from editing and can be verified.
How the MARPOL sample is taken
The 2024 IMO guidelines, which replaced the 2009 version, set out the method:
- The sample is drawn continuously throughout the delivery, at the receiving ship's bunker manifold.
- The retained sample is at least 600 ml, sealed with a uniquely numbered tamper-proof seal in front of the ship's representative.
- The seal number is recorded on the delivery note.
- The label shows where and how it was drawn, the date, the ship's name and IMO number, the product, the seal number and both representatives' names and signatures.
- Store it outside the accommodation, somewhere cool and out of sunlight.
The MARPOL sample is for compliance checks only. Commercial samples, if you want them, are separate.
How long to keep them
| Document | Keep for |
|---|---|
| Bunker delivery note | At least 3 years after delivery, on board and readily available |
| MARPOL delivered sample | Until the fuel is substantially used, and at least 12 months |
| Oil Record Book entry (code H) | With the Oil Record Book, 3 years after the last entry |