After a number of ships experienced fuel contamination problems with seemingly on-spec fuels, many worry that such cases will increase as the market is fearful about the quality of fuel bends provided to meet the new 0.50% sulphur limit in 2020. However, IBIA notes that ‘the contamination cases are completely unrelated to low sulphur fuel oil blending’.
Regarding the cause of the contamination, a common view is that the fuels causing sticking of fuel pumps contain adhesive chemical compounds and that these may have been added into the supply chain through inappropriate cutter stocks used in the production of bunkers at one or more refineries and/or terminals.
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It is also possible that the problems came from cross-contamination due to a new product cargo being loaded into multi-purpose storage tanks that were not emptied and cleared enough.
In light of these fears, the market is already worried about the quality of fuel bends provided to meet the new 0.50% sulphur limit in 2020. In fact, many have predicted that contamination cases like the one seen in the US Gulf, are going to more frequent because of blending to ensure sulphur limit compliance.
Responding to these fears, IBIA stated:
We would like to emphasise that the contamination cases that have rocked the market this year are completely unrelated to low sulphur fuel oil blending.
It also adds that even today, both HSFOs and distillates are also by and large blends. The blending procedure has as a goal to make sure that bunkers meet the relevant ISO 8217 specifications.
In this regard, IBIA believes that nothing will change in 2020,as ‘low sulphur fuels will still be blends and the blend components need to be permissible under the scope of the ISO 8217 standard’.
Commenting on the contamination issue, IBBC noted that it is extremely worried over it. For this reason it called suppliers to remain constructive and work together with buyers, ship owners and operators to find a solution to ‘this serious problem which is affecting a huge number of vessels’.