Marine fuel testing and marine surveying business Maritec Pte Ltd (CTI-Maritec) on Monday (7 February) issued an alert regarding high pour point bunker fuels found at ports within the United Arab Emirates:
Issued on 07 Feb 2022
Maritec Pte Ltd has tested several samples representing VLSFO deliveries in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates with Pour Point higher than 33°C for the Bunker period of 21st January 2022 to 27th January 2022. The VLSFO bunkers was delivered by the multiple suppliers and barges.
A high pour point fuel can result in an increased demand on the heating requirements for the fuel in the storage tanks. Moreover even though ISO8217 limits the cold flow properties of a fuel through setting a limit on the pour point, wax crystals in VLSFOs can form at a higher temperature than the pour point known as the Wax Appearance Temperature (or WAT). This can be challenging to vessel operations in colder operating regions, as the wax particles can rapidly block filters, potentially plugging them completely. Removal of these formed wax crystals require the fuel to be heated and maintained at temperatures above the WAT also known as Wax Disappearance Temperature (or WDT).
With high WAT & WDT, vessel with constraints in the design of the tank heating arrangement and the ambient temperature in the area of operation and thus not be able to achieve the temperatures. Transfer of fuel from storage tanks to settling tanks will be near impossible to sustain the daily consumption of the vessel.
Maritec recommends testing the WAT and WDT of a fuel once the tested pour point exceeds 21°C. Once the minimum temperature to which a fuel must be heated to melt the wax is readily known, the vessel can know and avoid operational issues well in advance.
Refer to earlier newsletter issued by Maritec on the above for more information, link is provided below:
This flash however does not reflect on the overall quality of fuel being supplied at United Arab Emirates, if you intend to bunker at this region, please request for a Certificate of Quality stating the pour point prior to loading.
Editor’s note: The bunker alert BF202202-01 may be downloaded from the link here.
Photo credit: CTI-Maritec
Published: 8 February, 2022
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