Fuel Quality Alert for Greek Ports

Over the last two months LR FOBAS has seen an unusual number of off-specification fuels from Greece.

Over the last two months, of April into May, LR FOBAS has seen an unusual number of off-specification fuels from Greece relating to the Total Sediment Potential of residual fuels supplied exceeding the limit of 0.10% indicating a potential problematic high sediment content in the fuel.

Total Sediment (TSP) is a parameter included in the ISO8217 standard for marine residual fuels with a maximum limit of 0.10%m/m. The reference test method to determine sediments is TSP (Total Sediment Potential) with a quicker TSA (Total Sediment Accelerated) method used as a standard initially which is then followed up by TSP for the confirmation of any off-spec results.

High sediment results suggest presence of either physical dirt/debris in the fuel or more severely is an indication of instability of the fuel which may result in the  precipitation of the asphaltenic content of the fuel. The consequences of a high TSP  can range dramatically from manageable operational issues such as filter clogging and heavy sludging at purifiers, which can be difficult to manage to influencing the combustion profile and restricting power output .which can be at times unmanageable.

Furthermore high sediments in fuel also impede the purification efficiency which means that purification of such fuels may not reduce the abrasives of catfines and water to acceptable levels which can then further lead to excessive wear and damage to the fuel system components. Excessive sludge deposition in the purifiers can also result in unbalancing the purifier leading to excessive vibrational forces and eventual damage.

Every month globally there are a small number of fuels which are off-spec for high sediments. Like any other ISO8217 spec limits this is highlighted and dealt with on a case by case basis, the last 2 months however we have seen a larger number of fuels with such a condition from Greek ports than we would normally expect. Often when we see a rise from one particular location this can be due to one particular batch of fuel which has been supplied to a number of ships from a single source. In this particular case the number of cases and the length of time now we have been seeing issues suggests that this could be a wider ranging issue.

Fig 1: High sediment cases per Country

Fig 2: Main Greek ports with high sediment fuels delivered

The above graph gives illustrates further the  extent of the issue. We see the typical one or two off-spec fuels spread around the globe compared with  the very high number centred around Greek ports, particularly Piraeus and Patras seen on the map above.

Unlike some fuel parameters, such as Sulphur content or properties such as viscosity and density the TSP of the fuel is not extremely accurate method however this is best test method available to determine sediments in the fuel. Due to this reason it is difficult to precisely predict the field behaviour of the fuel.

This is a situation we are monitoring and still investigating while at the same time we would recommend any ships bunkering in Greek ports or close by to pay close attention to the sediment results of their fuel analysis and still monitor the fuel in storage and use to ensure there are no issues. As a precautionary measures we suggest that purification efficiency is determined when treating this fuel to ensure that such purifiers are able to remove unwanted catfines and water from fuel before it enters engine.