Two companies filled lawsuits in federal courts in Texas reporting that ships they operated in 2018 were damaged by contaminated bunker fuel sold by a Valero Energy Co subsidiary Valero Marketing and Supply Co, as Reuters reports.
Despite allegations, a Valero spokesperson hasn’t replied and declined to leave a comment.
Moreover, the National Shipping Co of Saudi Arabia stated that it paid more than $1.1 million for repairs and replacement fuel for a vessel that they used at sea for two days before restarting and arriving at Alexandria, Egypt for repairs in early May 2018, according to the documents.
As the Saudi company commented in its filing
The damage to the vessel caused by use of the bad fuel included damage to the fuel injection pumps (plunger and barrel), injection control units, pistons and valves.
In the meantime, following the Saudi Company, Mexican petrochemical company Indelpro SA reported that Valero Marketing and Supply knew early that there were problems with the bunker fuel that affected more than 150 ships between January 1 and May 31, 2018.
Indelpro commented that the MV Zoe Schulte that it chartered experienced damages in May 2018 by contaminated bunker fuel supplied by Valero.
Consequently, the company had to repair the ship’s engine and clean its fuel tank and pipes.
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The common thing is that both companies support that Valero provided them with certificates that the fuel supplied met specifications.
Although the Mexican company didn’t list financial costs, it reported that it will seek damages in the amount of $75.000.
The lawsuit by Indelpro S.A. DE C.V. was filed against Valero Marketing and Supply Co in the Galveston division of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. The National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia suit against Valero Marketing and Supply Co was filed in the Houston division of the same district court.
