Tainted bunkers in Asia add to shipowners’ woes amid price and supply pressures

Compounding existing concerns over price and limited availability, shipowners seeking bunkers in Asia face another issue: tainted fuel.

Marine insurer Skuld has issued an advisory warning members of a pattern of on-spec but potentially problematic fuel being bunkered across Asia, particularly in Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia. While the fuels meet standard ISO 8217 parameters, advanced gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GCMS) testing has revealed elevated concentrations of hydrocarbon compounds, phenolic compounds and alkylresorcinol derivatives – characteristics consistent with the presence of shale oil components.

Skuld identified concentration levels of hydrocarbon compounds such as dihydro-dicyclopentadiene and indene running between 5,000 and 14,000 parts per million, with alkylresorcinol concentrations of between 4,700 and 6,000 ppm. The insurer noted it had seen similarly high concentrations previously, most notably in VLSFO from the ARA region in 2019, which were commonly associated with Estonian shale oil.

While shale oil is not classified as a contaminant under ISO 8217, Skuld cautioned that at high concentrations it can create serious operational headaches. “There is a risk that these compounds may result in sludge formation, filter and purifier fouling, and fuel injection system issues, and that poor engine performance may be experienced,” it said, adding that a risk assessment should be performed and any GCMS report treated as a warning.

The insurer also raised the possibility of deliberate malpractice, noting that some bunker suppliers may be intentionally supplying blended, low-quality marine fuels amid sharply rising prices driven by conflict in the Middle East.

Skuld’s warning follows a similar alert issued earlier this month by fuel testing specialist VPS, which identified elevated shale oil components in VLSFO samples taken in Singapore. VPS found phenolic compounds at concentrations of between 4,000 and 13,200 ppm, with acid numbers approaching the ISO 8217 limit. Despite no operational issues being reported at the time, VPS cautioned of potential delayed impacts and urged enhanced monitoring and careful fuel management.

Skuld advised members to conduct thorough vetting of bunker suppliers, request clarity on blending components used, and commission extended GCMS testing – stressing that standard ISO 8217 analysis alone will not detect the phenolic compounds in question.

source : splash247