A new report from Lloyd’s Register (LR) and University College London’s Energy Institute, Global Marine Fuel Trends 2030, indicates that, in all scenarios, heavy fuel oil remains the main fuel for deep sea shipping while LNG develops a deep sea bunker market share of 11% by 2030.
Engine Worn Out by Catalytic Fines
DNV has over the last years seen an increase in engine damage due to catalytic fines, even though the bunkered fuel has been in accordance with ISO 8217 marine fuel specification and fuel treatment is standard procedure and implemented for all vessels. Damage (incident occurred in 2010), that can be traced back to catalytic fines occurred after only 100 running hours, making the engine totally inoperable. All pistons and liners were totally destroyed and had to be changed.
North American ECA Related Deficiencies
Last August the North America ECA low sulphur requirements came into force and as a result the sulfur content of the fuel oil used onboard ships operating in this area may not exceed 1.00% m/m (10,000 ppm). This new requirement comes to add further restrictions on the fuels’ sulphur levels and gives the PSCO the ability to examine either the vessel’s SMS or its equipment or relevant records on whether or not they are in line with ECA regulations.
Vessel Detained Due to Incompliant ECA Fuel
The UK P&I released a bulletin today regarding a vessel which was detained for breaching the North Sea SECA regulations despite receiving bunkers which appeared, according to the bunker delivery note, of being within the required limits.
Low Sulfur Demand Rises Up in North American ECA
Demand for low sulfur bunkers in the U.S. has risen to as much as 50% of the total U.S. market since the August 1, 2012 introduction of the North American Emissions Control Area (ECA), according to a Platts Podcast. All ships operating within the ECA, effectively a 200 nautical mile zone off the U.S. and Canada coastlines, must use a marine fuel with a sulfur content not exceeding 1.00% by weight.
Carrier Collision Causes Oil Spill in Singapore Temasek Fairway
60 metric tonnes of bunker fuel were spilled on Singapore’s Temasek Fairway. According to the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), the agency received a report at about 1400hrs on 9 September (Singapore time) that a Hong Kong-registered bulk carrier “Sunny Horizon”, collided with the “DL Salvia”, a Korean-registered Liquefied Petroleum Gas carrier.