Americas News
FOBAS Reports Excess Water Content in Zona Comun Bunkers
Lloyd's Register's Fuel Oil Bunker Analysis Service (FOBAS) has warned of several recent instances of fuel oil being sold in Zona Comun with water content above the required maximum.
The organisation has tested a number of RMG 380 samples from the Argentinian port in the past week with water content of 0.85-2.00% v/v, it said in an emailed note Monday, compared with the 0.50% v/v specification limit.
The water appears to be fresh, rather than saline/sea water, the company said.
"Water at these levels would generally be expected to be manageable with effective onboard treatment including efficient purification, however is still be a concern and would also have commercial implications in terms of quantity of fuel received," the company said.
"If high water is found in a bunker fuel then further samples should be taken from the top, middle and bottom of the respective bunker tank(s) to determine the distribution of water through the tank.
"Further to this, samples can be taken from before and after the purifier as well as engine entry to determine the reduction of water to acceptable levels (0.20%v/vv) before engine entry."
