Singapore Sees Spike in Bunker Fuel Sulfur Level Above 3.5% Global Limit

by Ship & Bunker News Team
Tuesday August 19, 2014

Bunker fuel testing agency VPS on Monday says it has seen an spike in HSFO samples in Singapore that exceed the global sulfur limit of 3.5 percent, Platts report.

VPS said the number of samples it tests from Singapore that exceed the 3.5 percent limit is usually only slightly above zero percent, but from April to July 2014 it was almost 14 percent.

The global average for samples it tested during the four month period that exceeded the 3.5 percent limit was less than two percent.

In Fujairah VPS said that for July this year two percent of samples tested were above the 3.5 percent sulfur limit, compared to 10 percent last year.

VPS data also showed that global cat fines (aluminum and silicon levels) in HSFO has remained constant between 2013 and 2014 at around 30 mg/kg, but low sulfur bunkers showed an increase from an average of 49 mg/kg in 2013 to 57 mg/kg from January to July, 2014.

VPS, formerly DNV Petroleum Services (DNVPS), re-branded and changed its name to Veritas Petroleum Services last month after it was was sold to private equity firm IK Investment Partners (IK) as it was not included in parent company DNV's merger with Germanischer Lloyd SE (GL).

In April the International Bunker Industry Association (IBIA) said it is focusing its efforts on engaging with shipowners directly over the issue of bunker fuel quality.