Circular 68/2026/TT-BCT prescribing loss rates for petroleum products in petroleum trading operations

CIRCULAR
Prescribing loss rates for petroleum products in petroleum trading operations

Pursuant to the Government’s Decree No. 351/2026/ND-CP dated September 11, 2026, defining the functions, tasks, powers and organizational structure of the Ministry of Industry and Trade;

Pursuant to the Government’s Decree No. 08/2018/ND-CP dated January 15, 2018, amending a number of decrees concerning business investment conditions under the state management of the Ministry of Industry and Trade;

Pursuant to the Government’s Decree No. 83/2014/ND-CP dated September 3, 2014, on petrol and oil trading, as amended and supplemented by the Government’s Decree No. 95/2021/ND-CP dated November 1, 2021, and Decree No. 80/2023/ND-CP dated November 17, 2023;

At the proposal of the Director of the Department of Science, Technology and Digital Transformation;

The Minister of Industry and Trade promulgates the Circular prescribing loss rates for petroleum products in petroleum trading operations.

Chapter I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope of regulation

This Circular prescribes maximum loss rates for petroleum products in petroleum trading operations, including the export, import, temporary import for re-export, border-gate transfer and processing for export of petroleum products; petroleum blending; the purchase, sale and distribution of petroleum products on the domestic market; the receipt, storage and safekeeping, and transportation of petroleum products.

Article 2. Subjects of application

This Circular applies to traders as prescribed in the Commercial Law that conduct petroleum trading operations and to other organizations and individuals involved in managing loss rates for petroleum products in petroleum trading operations on the Vietnamese market.

Article 3. Interpretation of terms

1. Loss of petroleum products means a shortfall from the initial quantity of petroleum products due to natural evaporation, adhesion to surfaces or the effects of technological and technical factors during receipt, dispatch, storage, cleaning of tanks or means of transport, blending, transportation, transshipment or retail sale.

2. Storage of petroleum products means the stage in which petroleum products are stored or held in reserve for receipt or dispatch for sale. It includes short-term and long-term storage of petroleum products and excludes storage during the transportation stage.

3. Short-term storage of petroleum products means the stage in which petroleum products are stored in depots, tanks, vessels or barges where petroleum products are received or dispatched at least once during a month.

4. Long-term storage of petroleum products means the stage in which petroleum products are stored in depots, tanks, vessels or barges where no receipt or dispatch of petroleum products takes place during a month.

5. Transportation of petroleum products means the stage in which petroleum products are moved from the point of dispatch to the point of receipt by a means of transport or through a pipeline.

6. Receipt stage means the operation of receiving petroleum products from the containment equipment of a means of transport, a pipeline or a storage tank into a petroleum product storage system.

7. Dispatch stage means the operation of dispatching petroleum products from a storage system into the containment equipment of a means of transport or into a storage tank.

8. Tank-to-tank transfer stage means the operation of transferring petroleum products from one tank to another.

9. The loss rate for petroleum products at each stage of a petroleum trading operation shall be calculated by expressing the quantity of petroleum products lost at that stage as a percentage (%) of the initial quantity at the same stage. The calculation applies to each stage carried out in that operation, including receipt, dispatch, storage, cleaning of tanks or means of transport, blending, transportation, transshipment and retail sale.

Article 4. Principles for managing loss rates for petroleum products

1. The loss rates for petroleum products prescribed in this Circular are maximum loss rates.

2. Loss management, administration, accounting and finalization of loss accounts shall be carried out separately for each petroleum product, including all grades of unleaded gasoline, all grades of E5 and E10 ethanol-blended gasoline, E100 fuel ethanol, all grades of kerosene (KO), all grades of Jet A-1 aviation turbine fuel, all grades of diesel fuel, all grades of fuel oil (FO), and all grades of marine fuel (F).

3. Loss quantities and values for different products shall not be offset against one another within the same loss-accounting period. For petroleum products transferred by pumping through the same process piping system, commingled product may be offset on a quantity basis only.

4. Where abnormal losses occur relative to the loss rates prescribed in this Circular, including storage losses in pipelines in the case of pipeline transportation, petroleum traders need to identify the causes of the losses and take prompt action to prevent and minimize any losses that may occur to the lowest possible level.

Article 5. Principles for determining losses of petroleum products in petroleum trading operations

1. The loss of petroleum products in a petroleum trading operation specified in Article 1 of this Circular is the sum of the quantities of petroleum products lost at the stages carried out by the trader in that operation.

2. The units of measurement and conditions for determining loss rates for petroleum products are as follows:

a) The results of petroleum product measurements shall be converted to base conditions (a base temperature of 15 °C and a base pressure of 101325 Pa). For sales through fuel dispensers at petroleum retail stations, the unit of measurement shall be litres at observed conditions.

b) For all grades of fuel oil (FO) and marine fuel (F), quantities shall be expressed as mass in kilograms (kg).

3. The loss rates for petroleum products at each stage shall be determined in accordance with Articles 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 of this Circular.

4. The competent state management agency shall review, assess and adjust the loss rates for petroleum products in light of the state of equipment and technology, the level of technical capability, management requirements and the arrangements governing petroleum trading in each period.

Chapter II

SPECIFIC PROVISIONS

Article 6. Loss rates for petroleum products at the receipt stage

1. The loss of petroleum products at the receipt stage shall be determined by subtracting the quantity actually received in the receiving tank or the quantity measured by the meter from the quantity held in the containment equipment of the means of transport or in the storage tank before receipt.

2. The loss rate for petroleum products at the receipt stage shall be calculated by expressing the quantity lost as a percentage (%) of the quantity held in the containment equipment of the means of transport or in the storage tank before receipt. The maximum loss rate for the receipt stage is prescribed in Appendix I to this Circular.

3. Where the length of the receipt pipeline from the means of transport or the storage tank to the receiving tank exceeds 2 (two) km, the loss from pipeline transportation determined under Clause 2, Article 11 of this Circular shall be added to the maximum loss for the receipt stage.

Article 7. Loss rates for petroleum products at the dispatch stage

1. The loss of petroleum products at the dispatch stage shall be determined by subtracting the quantity received in the containment equipment of the means of transport or in the receiving tank, or the quantity measured by the meter, from the quantity dispatched from the dispatch tank.

2. For dispatch to waterborne, road or rail transport units or into a pipeline, the loss rate at the dispatch stage shall be calculated by expressing the quantity of petroleum products lost as a percentage (%) of the quantity dispatched through the meter or determined at the means of transport or tank. The maximum loss rate for the dispatch stage is prescribed in Appendix II to this Circular. Depending on their operational management conditions, petroleum traders may apply the maximum loss rate at the dispatch stage using either of the two methods set out in Appendix II to this Circular.

3. Where the length of the dispatch pipeline from the dispatch tank to the meter or from the meter to the means of transport exceeds 2 (two) km, the loss from pipeline transportation determined under Clause 2, Article 11 of this Circular shall be added to the maximum loss for the dispatch stage.

Article 8. Loss rates for petroleum products at the storage stage

1. The loss of petroleum products at the storage stage is the shortfall in the quantity of petroleum products during storage. No receipt, dispatch, tank-to-tank transfer or cleaning takes place during that period.

2. The quantity of petroleum products lost at the storage stage shall be determined by subtracting the quantity held in the tanks at the start of the next operation from the quantity held in the tanks at the end of the preceding operation (receipt, dispatch, tank-to-tank transfer or cleaning).

3. Loss rates for petroleum products in short-term storage

a) The quantity held in storage for the purpose of determining the loss rate shall be the arithmetic mean of the quantities determined on each day of the month. For storage tanks connected via a network to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, that quantity shall be the arithmetic mean of the quantities determined at least once every five days during the month.

b) The loss rate for petroleum products in short-term storage shall be calculated by expressing the quantity lost as a percentage (%) of the average quantity held in storage during the month. The maximum loss rate for short-term storage is prescribed in Appendix III to this Circular.

4. Loss rates for petroleum products in long-term storage

a) The quantity held in storage for the purpose of determining the loss rate shall be the quantity held in storage on the first day of the month.

b) The loss rate for petroleum products in long-term storage shall be calculated by expressing the quantity lost as a percentage (%) of the quantity held in storage on the first day of the month. The maximum loss rate for long-term storage is prescribed in Appendix III to this Circular.

Article 9. Loss rates for petroleum products at the cleaning stage

1. The loss of petroleum products during the cleaning of storage tanks or means of transport is the quantity lost through evaporation or adhesion to the walls of the storage tanks or means of transport. It excludes the unusable quantity of petroleum products mixed with sludge at the bottom of the storage tanks or means of transport during cleaning.

2. The quantity of petroleum products lost at the cleaning stage shall be determined by subtracting the total quantity recovered after cleaning from the total quantity held in the storage tanks or means of transport before cleaning (transfer by pumping and removal of residues). The unusable quantity of petroleum products mixed with sludge at the bottom of the containment equipment or means of transport during cleaning shall be excluded from the loss calculation.

3. Petroleum traders shall arrange for the determination of the actual unusable quantity of petroleum products mixed with sludge at the bottom of the containment equipment or means of transport during cleaning.

4. The loss rate for petroleum products at the cleaning stage shall be calculated by expressing the quantity lost as a percentage (%) of the capacity of the storage tank or means of transport to be cleaned. The maximum loss rate for the cleaning stage is prescribed in Appendix IV to this Circular.

Article 10. Loss rates for petroleum products at the blending stage

1. The loss of petroleum products at the blending stage shall be determined by subtracting the quantity of finished petroleum products produced from the total quantity of the input blending components.

2. The loss rate for petroleum products at the blending stage shall be calculated by expressing the quantity lost as a percentage (%) of the total quantity of the input blending components. The maximum loss rate for the blending stage is prescribed in Appendix V to this Circular.

Article 11. Loss rates for petroleum products during transportation

1. Loss rates for petroleum products during transportation by waterway, road or rail

a) The loss of petroleum products during transportation by waterway, road or rail shall be determined by subtracting the quantity of petroleum products determined in the means of transport at the point of receipt from the quantity determined in the means of transport at the point of dispatch.

b) The loss rate for petroleum products during transportation by waterway, road or rail shall be calculated by expressing the quantity lost as a percentage (%) of the quantity determined in the means of transport at the point of dispatch. The loss rate shall not exceed the maximum loss rate prescribed at Point c, Clause 1 of this Article.

c) The maximum loss rates for petroleum products during transportation by waterway, road or rail are prescribed in Clauses 1 and 2 of Appendix VI to this Circular.

2. Loss rates for petroleum products during pipeline transportation

a) The loss of petroleum products during pipeline transportation shall be determined for the transfer of petroleum products by pumping from the dispatch tank to the receiving tank through a rigid steel pipeline with an internal diameter of at least 145 mm. The total loss during pipeline transportation is the sum of the loss incurred while the petroleum products are held in the pipeline and the loss incurred during transfer.

b) The loss rate for petroleum products during pipeline transportation shall be calculated by expressing the quantity lost as a percentage (%) of the quantity dispatched from the dispatch tank or measured by the meter.

c) Where transportation takes place at least once within a five-day period, the maximum loss rate for petroleum products during pipeline transportation is prescribed in Clause 3 of Appendix VI to this Circular.

d) Where no transportation takes place for more than five days, the quantity lost during storage in the pipeline shall be added to the loss rate for petroleum products during pipeline transportation. The loss rate for petroleum products held in the pipeline shall be calculated by expressing the quantity lost as a percentage (%) of the quantity held in the pipeline. The maximum loss rate for storage in the pipeline is prescribed in Clause 4 of Appendix VI to this Circular.

Article 12. Loss rates for petroleum products at the transshipment stage

1. The loss of petroleum products at the transshipment stage shall be determined by subtracting the quantity determined to have been received by the smaller vessel or other means of transport from the quantity determined to have been transferred from the larger vessel or other means of transport.

2. The loss rate for petroleum products at the transshipment stage shall be calculated by expressing the quantity lost as a percentage (%) of the quantity transferred from the larger vessel or other means of transport. The maximum loss rate for the transshipment stage is prescribed in Appendix VII to this Circular.

Article 13. Loss rates for petroleum products at the dispatch stage from a storage tank to a fuel dispenser at a petroleum retail station and from an aircraft refuelling equipment or aviation fuel storage tank to an into-plane delivery meter

1. The loss of petroleum products at a petroleum retail station shall be determined as the sum of the quantities lost at the receipt, dispatch, storage and cleaning stages.

2. The loss rates for petroleum products at the receipt, storage and cleaning stages are prescribed in Articles 6, 8 and 9 of this Circular. The maximum loss rates for the dispatch stage from a storage tank to a fuel dispenser at a petroleum retail station and from an aircraft refuelling vehicle or aviation fuel storage tank to an into-plane delivery meter are prescribed in Appendix VIII to this Circular.

Chapter III

ORGANIZATION OF IMPLEMENTATION

Article 14. Responsibilities of units

1. The Department of Science, Technology and Digital Transformation

To assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with relevant units in, disseminating the provisions of this Circular and guiding the application of its provisions on loss rates for petroleum products in petroleum trading operations.

2. The Department of Domestic Market Management and Development

To assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with relevant units in, organizing the monitoring, inspection and supervision of the implementation of this Circular in the course of performing state management of petroleum trading operations on the domestic market.

Article 15. Responsibilities of petroleum traders

1. To organize the management of losses of petroleum products in petroleum trading operations. To formulate and promulgate specific provisions setting loss rates for petroleum products at levels that do not exceed those prescribed in this Circular, or to directly apply the provisions on loss rates of this Circular. To formulate and promulgate provisions on the management of losses of petroleum products in petroleum trading operations and take responsibility for the losses arising from the operations they carry out.

Based on their production, business and management activities and the conditions of their physical and technical facilities, petroleum traders may choose to study, develop and apply a system for managing losses of petroleum products by operational segment (transportation, handling through depots, retail sale or another segment suited to their trading operations). An operational segment may comprise one or more stages. The sum of the loss allowances for the stages constituting an operational segment must not exceed the sum of the loss allowances for the corresponding stages prescribed in the Appendices to this Circular. Petroleum traders shall take responsibility for the losses arising from the operations they carry out.

2. To account for losses in accordance with current regulations and finalize loss accounts for petroleum trading operations on the basis of the actual quantities of petroleum products lost, subject to the loss rates prescribed in this Circular.

3. To proactively study the application of science and technology to upgrade and retrofit existing tanks by fitting them with floating roofs where such roofs have yet to be installed. Measuring instruments for storage tanks and other equipment systems at depots shall be verified and calibrated by competent organizations in accordance with law. Where other relevant legislative documents prescribe requirements for investment in upgrading and retrofitting such tanks with floating roofs and in the above-mentioned information technology equipment systems and automatic liquid-level measurement systems, those requirements shall apply.

4. Petroleum key producers and petroleum key traders shall compile annual data on the quantities of petroleum products lost and submit a report to the Ministry of Industry and Trade through the Department of Domestic Market Management and Development to serve the state management of such losses. The report shall be made using the form provided in Appendix IX to this Circular.

Article 16. Effect

1. This Circular takes effect on January 1, 2027.

2. This Circular replaces the Minister of Industry and Trade’s Circular No. 43/2015/TT-BCT of December 8, 2015, prescribing loss rates for petroleum products in petroleum trading operations.

3. Where the legislative documents referred to in this Circular are amended, supplemented or replaced, the newly promulgated documents shall apply.

4. Any difficulties or problems arising in the course of implementing this Circular, or any need for amendments or supplements, shall be reported in writing by petroleum traders and relevant organizations and individuals to the Ministry of Industry and Trade through the Department of Domestic Market Management and Development for consideration and resolution according to competence.

For the Minister

The Deputy Minister

NGUYEN VIET SON

APPENDIX I

MAXIMUM LOSS RATES FOR PETROLEUM PRODUCTS AT THE RECEIPT STAGE

(Promulgated together with Circular No. 68/2026/TT-BCT dated October 30, 2026, of the Minister of Industry and Trade)

APPENDIX II

MAXIMUM LOSS RATES FOR PETROLEUM PRODUCTS AT THE DISPATCH STAGE

(Promulgated together with the Minister of Industry and Trade’s Circular No. 68/2026/TT-BCT dated October 30, 2026, prescribing loss rates for petroleum products in petroleum trading operations)

1. For dispatch to waterborne means of transport:

2. For dispatch to road transport units, pipelines and rail transport units:

*Note: For dispatch into a pipeline, the loss rate at the dispatch stage shall be determined solely for the Tank to Meter segment.

APPENDIX III

MAXIMUM LOSS RATES FOR PETROLEUM PRODUCTS AT THE STORAGE STAGE

(Promulgated together with the Minister of Industry and Trade’s Circular No. 68/2026/TT-BCT dated October 30, 2026, prescribing loss rates for petroleum products in petroleum trading operations)

1. For short-term storage:

2. For long-term storage:

APPENDIX IV

MAXIMUM LOSS RATES FOR PETROLEUM PRODUCTS AT THE CLEANING STAGE

(Promulgated together with the Minister of Industry and Trade’s Circular No. 68/2026/TT-BCT dated October 30, 2026, prescribing loss rates for petroleum products in petroleum trading operations)

APPENDIX V

MAXIMUM LOSS RATES FOR PETROLEUM PRODUCTS AT THE BLENDING STAGE

(Promulgated together with the Minister of Industry and Trade’s Circular No. 68/2026/TT-BCT dated October 30, 2026, prescribing loss rates for petroleum products in petroleum trading operations)

APPENDIX VI

MAXIMUM LOSS RATES FOR PETROLEUM PRODUCTS DURING TRANSPORTATION

(Promulgated together with the Minister of Industry and Trade’s Circular No. 68/2026/TT-BCT dated October 30, 2026, prescribing loss rates for petroleum products in petroleum trading operations)

1. For transportation by waterway**:

**Note: This table applies only to transportation within the territory of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. For transportation outside that territory, the quantity of petroleum products lost at the transportation stage shall be determined in accordance with international customs/practices.

2. For transportation by road or rail:

3. For pipeline transportation:

4. For storage losses in the pipeline:

APPENDIX VII

MAXIMUM LOSS RATES FOR PETROLEUM PRODUCTS AT THE TRANSSHIPMENT STAGE

(Promulgated together with the Minister of Industry and Trade’s Circular No. 68/2026/TT-BCT dated October 30, 2026, prescribing loss rates for petroleum products in petroleum trading operations)

APPENDIX VIII

MAXIMUM LOSS RATES FOR PETROLEUM PRODUCTS AT THE DISPATCH STAGE FROM A STORAGE TANK TO A FUEL DISPENSER AT A PETROLEUM RETAIL STATION AND FROM AN AIRCRAFT REFUELLING VEHICLE OR AVIATION FUEL STORAGE TANK TO AN INTO-PLANE DELIVERY METER

(Promulgated together with the Minister of Industry and Trade’s Circular No. 68/2026/TT-BCT dated October 30, 2026, prescribing loss rates for petroleum products in petroleum trading operations)

* Other Appendices are not translated herein.