Bunker Delivery Note
A Bunker Delivery Note (BDN) is the document the fuel supplier provides to a ship at each bunkering, recording the delivery: the quantity supplied, the fuel grade, its sulphur content and density, the date, and the supplier and barge details. A representative sealed sample of the fuel accompanies it.
The BDN is required under MARPOL Annex VI and must be retained on board for three years. It is the primary evidence of the quantity and quality received — central to fuel accounting, to bunker quantity and quality disputes, and to demonstrating compliance with the sulphur limits to port state control.
The Bunker Delivery Note is the legal and commercial record of what fuel a ship received: it is the proof of the quantity paid for, the basis of any short-delivery or off-spec claim, and the document that shows inspectors the fuel meets the sulphur limits. Getting it right protects a large sum of money and a compliance obligation at every stem.
How long must a Bunker Delivery Note be kept?
Under MARPOL Annex VI, the BDN and its sealed fuel sample must be retained on board for three years, available for inspection by port state control.