Fuel Switching-Related Power Losses Persist in ECAs

by Ship & Bunker News Team
Monday March 30, 2015

Cases of vessels sporadically losing power in Emission Control Areas (ECA) due to fuel switching continue to be a worry for ships, Tradewinds reports

According to Lloyd's Register Marine Director Tom Boardley, about half of blackout incidents go unreported, with many of the cases likely occurring because proper fuel-switching protocol wasn't followed. 

Stricter ECA rules that came into effect on January 1, 2015 have led many shippers to switch to using marine gas oil (MGO) for compliance, which has increased the likelihood of engines experiencing thermal shock when going from higher-temperature heavy fuel oil (HFO) to cooler MGO.

"They [port authorities] are effectively concerned that effectively, you have an unguided missile in your port, and also these blackouts occur at the worst possible moment," Boardley said at last week's Connecticut Maritime Association's Shipping 2015 conference.

"Even though you may have tug assistance, if you've got a large ship that's gone dead in a confined space, it's a dangerous situation."

Boardley added there currently isn't enough data around the issue, mostly because ships are less likely to report incidents if crew can fix the problem quickly. 

Warnings against improperly undergoing fuel switching when entering ECAs first began appearing late last year. 

Earlier this month, the U.S. Coast Guard issued a safety alert on fuel switchover procedures, though many major shipping players later commented that they had not experienced any problems so far.