World News
Bad Bunkers: Gone For Now, but Not Forgotten
The rash of related "bad bunker" incidents that affected some 200 vessels over this past summer look to have come to an end.
The cases were notable as the contaminants suspected of being at the root of the issues - including sticking of fuel plungers, blocked fuel filters, and/or fuel-pump seizures and failures - were not identified during normal ISO 8217 testing.
VPS and FOBAS identified many of the cases, which originated in Houston before spreading to Panama and Singapore.
With the exception of some cases surfacing during August in Houston, both testing agencies said July was the last time any new cases fitting the profile were seen.
Still, owner/operators have no reason to lower their guard when it comes to quality; a case in point being VPS saying in recent weeks it has seen several cases of very high sediment fuels.
Further afield, many saw the recent bad bunker problems as a warning of what could happen in 2020, with concern over both the 0.50% fuels and traditional HSFO bunkers.
Key Bunker Prices More
| VLSFO | MGO | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $/mt | +/- | $/mt | +/- | |
| Singapore | 548.00 | 0.50 | 677.50 | 2.00 |
| Rotterdam | 513.00 | 0.50 | 649.00 | 3.00 |
| Houston | 544.50 | 2.50 | 675.00 | 4.00 |
| Fujairah | 541.50 | 2.50 | 744.00 | 3.50 |
| Global 20 Ports Average | 572.00 | 2.50 | 758.00 | 2.50 |
| Global 4 Ports Average | 536.50 | 1.50 | 686.50 | 3.00 |
| Global Average Bunker Price | 624.00 | 2.50 | 801.00 | 3.50 |
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