As the owner or manager of a beautiful new yacht, fuel testing may not be high on your priorities; however it should be at the very top. The ability to sail safely, independently and at short notice is crucial for the modern day yacht owner and having a fuel and fuel system free from any problems at all times is essential in achieving this.
A standby vessel stationed close to a drilling platform, experienced a “black-out” which was caused by water contamination of fuel and occurred shortly after switching from one service tank to another. The water was drained from the tank and fuel system. The main engine was restarted and was running normally. To provide electric current for lighting, steering etc., one of the auxiliary engines had to be started. Upon trying this, it was discovered that the spare starting air bottle was empty although the pressure gauge indicated full pressure.
Recently the west of England P&I released a Loss Prevention Bulletin on the “Cappuccino Effect” due to a recent bunker dispute involving a vessel and a bunker supplier. The vessel, a bulk carrier, arrived in Singapore and began to bunker 900 tonnes of high sulphur fuel oil. The crew was alerted to the fact that something was wrong by the rattling of the float valves situated inside the fuel tank vent head bonnets. It was found that air was escaping from the vents at a greater rate than would normally be expected. In addition, the bunker supply hose lying on deck was seen to be jerking violently.
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Officer of the Watch 