ALL SECTIONS:
Operational / Technical
The main reason which is acknowledged by both suppliers and users of our service is it acts as a “damage prevention” service, almost like insurance. The key to this is to be able to provide a copy of the analysis and recommendations prior to the vessel having to use the fuel.
There are three main categories which reports cover concerning technical matters
Fuel is "On Spec"
The test result indicates that the fuel is within specification (usually compared to the generally accepted standard for purchase and sale of marine fuel oil, ISO8217 or to a clients preferred specification). In most cases, the parties concerned will have confidence that the vessel in question should be able to burn that fuel without difficulty.
Non-critically "Off Spec"
The test results indicate that one or more test parameters are marginally off-specification so that decisions can be made with expert support from the fuel testing provider as to how best to handle the fuel. Assuming that only non-critical parameters are only marginally off-specification the vessel should be able to handle the fuel by following the technical advice offered both by the testing agency and by the vessel technical department.
Critically "Off Spec"
In the most serious of cases where critical parameters are off-specification other advice will be supplied by the testing agency. In the very worst cases, advice will be given that a fuel should not be used and a claim will be recommended to be lodged against the supplier of the fuel.
It must however be noted that a de-bunkering of the vessel should always be the last resort. However, there are some cases where
Example of “Critical Off Spec”
One of the most critical test parameters carried out by testing agencies is that of aluminium and silicon. In the ISO8217:2005 standard, the two elements combined have an allowable maximum level of 80 mg/kg in Marine Fuel Oil. This has been set at 80 mg/kg because through intensive research over many years, it was determined that fuels delivered to vessels with a combined aluminium plus silicon content of no more than 80 mg/kg can be treated with the efficient running of the vessels fuel pre-treatment plant to reduce the contaminant to an acceptable level. This is usually defined as less than 15-20 mg/kg as per most engine manufacturers recommendations for levels at the point of injection to the engine).
Aluminium plus silicon are not naturally occurring in fuel oil and are often found in residual fuel oil as a result of catalysts that are used during the refining process and are generally referred to 'catfines'. The level in the fuel supplied to vessels is extremely critical because the aluminium plus silicon particles are known to be very abrasive. Should the levels going through the engine be higher that engine manufacturer's recommendations then increased wear levels could be expected to the moving parts of the engine. These parts include the fuel pumps, injectors, cylinder liners and piston rings.
Generally the levels can be considered:
| <20 mg/kg | = OK |
| 20 – 50 mg/kg | = Pre-treatment must be efficient |
| 50 – 80 mg/kg | = Pre/post purifier samples should be checked to confirm full efficiency |
| > 80 mg/kg | = Fuel must be segregated pending further investigation |
Commercial Reasons
With the increases in fuel costs witnessed in recent years many fuel purchasers are recognising there are significant cost savings that could be made by taking part in a full marine fuel testing program to identify possible commercial “inaccuracies. Commercial savings can be made by shipping organisations in three key areas:
Density
Marine fuel is physically ordered and delivered by volume but when invoiced to the customer it is sold by weight. This is achieved by a calculation based on the density of the fuel delivered and it is found that with large quantities of fuel significant losses can result if the supplier has over stated his density. With no fuel testing program in place the fuel purchaser will be unaware of the actual density of the fuel and will end up paying for what the delivered weight was based on the supplier's density as stated on the Bunker Delivery Note (BDN)
For example:
| Ordered bunker | = 1000 m/t |
| Suppliers density by their paperwork | = 990.0 kg/m3 at 15°C = 1010.10 m3 at 15°C |
| Tested density | = 970.0 kg/m3 |
| Actual delivery | = 979.8 m/t |
| Shortage of delivery | = 20.2 m/t = USD 14,140 (assuming at USD 700 m/t) |
Water
The water content as defined by ISO8217:2005 does have an allowable level of 0.5%, therefore we can only consider ‘claimable’ losses above that level.
Using the above example with 1000 m/t being ordered, say the water content is 2.4% but only the excess above 0.5% can be claimed:
Water content = 19 m/t = USD 13,300 (assuming at USD 700 m/t)
Without this knowledge of water content many of the high water deliveries would go unnoticed by the fuel purchaser, the result being water being paid for rather than oil.
High Wear Rates
Some of the operational benefits of a full marine fuel testing program were discussed in section 1 of this document during which reference was made to aluminium and silicon, commonly referred to as ‘catfines’. Over a longer period of time, the commercial implications must also be considered.
Once the level of catfines in a fuel increase above the engine manufacturers maximum level at the point of injection (set at less than 20 mg/kg), the risk to increased wear to the engines fuel pumps, injectors, piston rings and cylinder liners becomes significant.
The industry can show from statistical records that the overall average of aluminium and silicon content is currently around 27 mg/kg. Also, more than half of samples have a combined aluminium plus silicon content in excess of 20 mg/kg thus we are dependent on efficient pre-treatment. This is where the purifier efficiency monitoring can help to ensure wear costs are minimised.
The commercial implications of these higher wear rates is obvious and individual ships can then put a cost on higher wear rates, however this value will be different from one ship to another. What is unanimously agreed is there will be an increased cost!
Legal Reasons
Until recently the only test parameter that was a legal requirement as per ISO8217 was that of flash point. This particular parameter is mentioned in the Safety of Lives at Sea (SOLAS) regulations and states that any vessel carrying a fuel with a flash point below 60°C will be rendered as un-seaworthy. Any vessel found to be using fuel with flash point below 60°C will be invalidating their insurance. As soon as a fuel oil is found to have a flash point below the minimum limit, they must advise their insurance and classification societies for advice on how to handle the fuel.
Now we have the sulphur content of marine fuels as a legal issue.
Within the EU there have been laws in place controlling the sulphur content of distillate fuel within certain EU waters (mainly whilst vessels are at berth and on inland waterways). However, with the ratification of MARPOL Annex VI on 19th May 2005, the sulphur content of marine fuel oils has become a legal issue.
The global cap for sulphur content of marine fuel is set at 4.5%.
On the 19th May 2006, the Baltic Sea became the first Sulphur Emission Control Area (SECA) and it became a legal requirement for all vessels trading within the Baltic Sea to burn fuel oil with a sulphur content not exceeding 1.5%.
On 11th August 2007, the second SECA was introduced covering the North Sea and English Channel again defining that sulphur content must not exceed 1.5%. This was followed by EU enforcing the same regulations on 22nd November 2007.
Please refer to our latest news section for updates on the Sulphur regulations and implications of timelines.
However, there has been increased confusion on issues between the MARPOL Annex VI regulations and EU regulations which has meant that the interpretation of them has become vital to decisions made by ship owners/operators. In some cases it is possible to use fuel of lower cost with slightly higher sulphur content but remain within EU and IMO regulations.
Both flash point and sulphur levels within fuels are very important for ship owners/operators/managers to have knowledge of. Should their vessel be using fuel that is non compliant, the consequences could be serious resulting in heavy fines imposed on all parties concerned. The only way in which the exact flash point and sulphur level of both HFO and distillate fuel on board a vessel can be known is by taking part in a full testing program.
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