The practice of using jet and automotive fuels as blend stocks for bunkers may be leading to flash point problems, according to insurance association the UK P&I Club.
It is now 'widely acknowledged' that jet and automotive fuels are being blended into bunkers, the firm said in a statement on its website Wednesday.
"In VLSFO, the prime indication of this new practice is a general reduction in viscosity and density," the association said.
In the note the company linked this with reports of 'a significant uptick' in fuels found to be off-specification because of a flash point lower than the minimum in Singapore and the Middle East.
But in Europe at least, market sources told Ship & Bunker earlier this week that media reports of jet fuel ending up in bunkers are likely to have been overstated, with the practice being not particularly widespread.
