Get Prepared For an Increase in Post-2020 Bunker Quality Problems: MFS

Gunnar F. Lindqvist, Managing Partner at Marine Fuel Services.

Norway’s Marine Fuel Services has launched a new Fuel Quality & Claims Service to help bunker buyers with what is expected to be an increase in bunker quality problems in the post-2020 market.

The service is intended to complement standard laboratory fuel quality testing and features an App for monitoring and analysing both historic and incoming fuel test data. By pooling data from multiple laboratory sources, users can avoid the need to visit multiple separate tools.

From there, users can receive off-spec alerts and recommendations for claims settlement, and if required, legal support.

“I believe that the timing is good as we anticipate fuel quality problems to rise with the upcoming 2020 sulphur cap. This is mainly due to the increased demand for max 0.5% sulphur fuel and the vast number of new blend compositions,” says Gunnar F. Lindqvist, Managing Partner at Marine Fuel Services.

But Lindqvist says there are a number other quality scenarios buyers should be wary of, including instances where fuels are still within ISO8217 specs but test results show levels elevated to within the reproducibility limits. Such fuels can still cause damage and operational problems, he says.

Other cases of concern are where fuels meet ISO8217 specification but contain other contaminants that cause problems, as witnessed during last summer’s “bad bunker” problems in Houston, Panama and Singapore.

“Solving fuel quality disputes can be complex, costly and time consuming for fuel buyers and often requires specialist technical, commercial and legal expertise” Lindqvist says.

“One way or the other fuel buyers should be prepared for the anticipated increase in fuel quality problems post 2020.”