World News
North P&I Club Warns of VLSFO Risks With Heat-Sensitive Cargo
The cold flow properties of some very low sulfur fuel oil (VLSFO) blends may be at odds with the need to protect heat-sensitive cargo on board some vessels, according to insurance association North P&I.
For blends that require heating to avoid wax formation and other problems, ship operators will need to be aware of the risk of damaging any heat-sensitive cargo they are carrying, North said in an emailed note Tuesday.
"There is a risk that the temperature of the fuel in tanks located adjacent to cargo holds could damage heat-sensitive cargo," Alvin Forster, a loss prevention executive at North, wrote in the note.
"For example, according to BMT's Cargo Handbook, a bulk cargo of raw sugar is at risk of caking at temperatures as low as 25°C.
"If cargo is loaded into a hold located above a hot double-bottom fuel tank, there is a significant chance of damage occurring."
The note suggests moving any fuel with a high paraffinic content to a tank that is not adjacent to cargo holds in such cases, if possible without causing contamination of the fuel.
Key Bunker Prices More
| VLSFO | MGO | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $/mt | +/- | $/mt | +/- | |
| Singapore | 565.50 | 4.50 | 678.50 | 4.50 |
| Rotterdam | 512.00 | 3.50 | 676.00 | 9.00 |
| Houston | 552.00 | 3.00 | 682.00 | 4.00 |
| Fujairah | 555.50 | 7.50 | 753.00 | 1.50 |
| Global 20 Ports Average | 583.50 | 4.00 | 762.50 | 2.50 |
| Global 4 Ports Average | 546.50 | 4.50 | 697.50 | 2.50 |
| Global Average Bunker Price | 632.50 | 2.00 | 811.00 | 1.50 |
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