Marine fuel treatment chemical OctamarTM HF-10 Plus has received a Statement of Fact from Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK) verifying its performance in maintaining Very Low Sulphur Fuel Oil (VLSFO) stability, learns Singapore bunkering publication Manifold Times.
Nicea Ng*, Marine Technical Specialist at Innospec, shared OctamarTM HF-10 Plus was subjected to stringent tests conducted at a third party lab by SGS Testing and Intertek in Singapore under the supervision of ClassNK earlier this year.
The tests conducted on OctamarTM HF-10 Plus were:
In short, the JSA test method for dispersion simulates the actual storage conditions of VLSFO in a ship’s bunker fuel tank, while the centrifuge test simulates sludge reduction after use of OctamarTM HF-10 Plus.
The Reserve Stability Number of the tested VLSFO notably reduced from 8.0 (unstable) to 0.2 (stable) after treatment.
“We used a 50:50 blend of two physically different ISO 8217:2017 on-spec VLSFOs to maximise the amount of incompatibility for all three tests verified by ClassNK,” said Ng,
She described the 50:50 blend of VLSFOs used in the JSA test method to be the “worst case scenario”.
“Mixing VLSFOs is not recommended in practice on-board, unless unavoidable. The objective of the tests is to proof the effectiveness of Innospec’s solution via independent third-party tests and verification,” explains Ng.
“With ClassNK’s verification, we have officially proved OctamarTM HF-10 Plus stabilises VLSFO bunker fuels and reduces issues such as filter clogging or excess sludge generation in purifiers in accordance to standards set by the Japanese Shipowners’ Association.
“Also, we have to be clear marine fuel treatment chemicals are much more effective when used during storage [before experiencing issues] and should not be thought of as a ‘cure’ [after experiencing a serious issue].
“This is because aging or oxidation stability of the fuel is irreversible.”
* Nicea Ng, Marine Technical Specialist at Innospec, is a Marine Engineer with eight years of seagoing experience with CMA CGM and APL. She holds a Certificate of Competency (CoC) Class 1 Marine Engineer Officer license from the Maritime Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).
Related: Innospec highlights important overview on handling fuel instability issue of VLSFO
Related: IMO 2020 ‘definitely making a difference’ for Innospec, says CEO & President
Related: Innospec launches Octamar™ series of additives for new blends of IMO 2020 bunker fuels
Photo credit: Innospec
Published: 12 May, 2021
‘Economics of the shipping market will be the key driver enabling methanol to be adopted at a higher pace going forth over next couple years as market begins to return to more normal rates,’ states COO.
Integr8 Fuel injunction varied by Singapore Court to allow former employees to start work at Hartree Group in December 2022 following failure to produce evidence on biofuels development plans.
Variability of sources can affect the stability and performance of biofuel bunkers produced from these feedstocks, in turn leading to difficulties in meeting regulations and industry standards, shares Bryan Quek.
Top three positive movers in 2022 were Bunker House Petroleum Pte Ltd (+7), Eastpoint International Marketing Pte Ltd (+5), and Eng Hua Company (Pte) Ltd (+6); newcomer Sinopec Fuel Oil (Singapore) gets 19th spot.
Livestock carrier also involved in earlier bunker claim with Glander International Bunkering due to remaining unpaid fuel bill of approximately USD 116,000, according to court documents obtained by Manifold Times.
A blend of standard MGO and biodiesel, MGO B20 is distributed at the company’s floating kiosk CNC 5 which is located off the buoy of West Coast Pier; PS Energy has been stamped with globally recognised ISCC.