Tricks of the Bunker Trade: Understanding the Fuel Temperature & Volume Relationship

by Kaivan H. Chinoy, Petro Inspect / The Bunker Detectives
Thursday July 18, 2013

The barge will often try to under-declare the temperature during the opening gauge and over- declare during the closing.

This malpractice is quite common in day-to-day bunkering and therefore we always ask the ship officers responsible for bunkering operations to be extra vigilant and check the temperatures of all bunker tanks during the opening gauge and thereafter periodically check and record the temperature of the fuel as it is pumped onboard.

The temperatures should be checked both at the barge and the ship's manifold.

If temperature gauges are provided it would be prudent to take photographs where permissible.

This malpractice could be illustrated by the following example:

Within a large fleet the loss could run into millions of dollars a year!

Key Notes:

  • Always check and record the temperatures of the fuel tanks before and after and periodically during the bunkering operation
  • Carry own infra-red laser temperature gun as a part of your equipment
  • Remember whenever in doubt or have concerns always issue a letter of protest

About Petro Inspect and The Bunker Detectives

Bunker Detectives

Petro Inspect, previous known only as The Bunker Detectives, are a dedicated team who primarily help ship charterers' & bunker brokers deal with bunker quantity disputes (which do not fall under P&I cover for charterers'), and also offer an exclusive service to ship charterers' dealing with 'Bad' Bunker dispute claims, such as the supply of contaminated or off- specification bunkers.

The core services provided under the banner of 'Bunker Detective' are 221B Surveys (aka Bunker Detective Surveys), Bunker Stem Surveys (aka Bunker Quantity Surveys - BQS) and Charter On/Off Hire and Condition Surveys, as well as a bunker fuel concealment detection services.

About Kaivan H. Chinoy

A qualified Mercantile Marine Officer with an MSc Degree in "Technical Management of Ship Operations," prior to founding AVA Marine Kaivan spent over 15 years involved in extensive marine operations including vessel navigation, cargo handling, accident investigations, project cargo risk management, and marine cargo surveying.

To contact the editor responsible for this story email us at editor@shipandbunker.com