Fuel quality and the importance of testing in an era of contamination and new blended products that put at risk the safety of crew, the environment and the protection of the vessel as an asset.

The Testing Times report has been written by Thetius on behalf of Lloyd’s Register assesses the vital role of ship fuel oil assessment and quantity verification.

“To meet growing local demand, Europe will need to increase imports from North America, South America, and the Middle East and this will increase ton-mile costs for crude and refined stocks”

Current key issues in bunkering, trends and developments will affect bunkering over the coming decade and how fleets can protect themselves from the costs and risks of contaminated or off-spec fuel are examined at this report.

Although the improvement in safety standards in the marine industry, accidents present steadily increase.

• 1 in 3 incidents caused by machinery failure, reflecting the unclear picture in bunker.
• Russia-Ukraine war, cause instability in Europe and worldwide with effect on shipping, particularly in relation to fuel stability.
• Time pressure ship managers deal with, influence the quality and quantity of fuel supplies
• 3 out of 5 respondents experienced a bunker quantity fraud in the 2022
• Lack of supply chain transparency, not allow ship managers map the supply chain and verify supplier quality.
• Enforcement of international standards, including fuel standards, varies by region, state, and port.
• Climate change with the lower temperatures of the polar regions cause the problem of low temperature pour points, one of the four most common off spec characteristics.

Read the report here

INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MARINE SURVEYING