Bunker Fuel

London P&I Club: Loss prevention guidance on bunkering

Carl Durrow, Loss Prevention Manager at London P&I Club, explores a notable case study to showcase some of the issues that need to be addressed before and during a bunker loading operation.

Published

4 weeks ago

November 10, 2023

Admin

Carl Durrow, Loss Prevention Manager & Master Mariner, London P&I Club on Wednesday (8 November) published a guidance on poor bunkering practices by exploring a notable case study to showcase some of the issues that need to be addressed before and during a bunker loading operation:

The financial impact of environmental disasters as a result of poor bunkering procedures are a major problem for ship owners and managers globally. Negligence or poor oversight during the loading of bunker fuel can often result in major fines from local authorities, as well as substantial clean-up costs to minimise the impact of lost bunker fuel on the environment.

The London Club delivers practical loss prevention advice to members, drawing from the experience of the Club, its Members and industry sources to ensure effective and sensible operating procedures are in place on all vessels.

In order to promote these safe practices, the London Club is using an example of poor bunkering practices as a case study to showcase some the issues that need to be addressed before and during a bunker loading operation, as well as detailing measures that can be taken to ensure no fuel is lost overboard during such a procedure.

In this case study, the vessel arrived at its destination port to load cargo and take on a stem of bunkers. The Chief Engineer elected to take some shore leave and delegated his duty to oversee the bunkering to a junior engineer officer.

The bunker barge pulls up alongside and the crew connects the delivery hose to the bunker manifold. The junior engineer collects the bunkering procedure checklist, but decides that because the bunkers are being loaded into an empty tank, there was no need to go through all the procedures in the checklist.

With the bunker barge ready to start, the deck watchman is called to open the valve to 2 Centre Bunker Tank. However, the tank valves are poorly stenciled. Instead of checking further, the crewman opens 1 Centre Bunker Tank, which is already more than 75% full. The junior engineer officer is then distracted by a phone call from home on his mobile and walks away, assuming it will be a long time until the bunkering process is complete.

Sadly, 2 Centre Bunker Tank then overflows from the tank vent, with bunker fuel covering the deck area and spilling overboard into the water. Only the bunker barge team notices this overflow and immediately stops pumping but at that point the damage is already done.

Financial impacts

More than 26,000 litres of bunkers were lost overboard and the financial implications for the owners were significant. This included:

$6.5 million in environmental clean-up costs
A $750,000 fine from local authorities for pollution

To add to this, the crew later falsified SMS documents, which could have resulted in further criminal charges.

Best practices

This case study showcases a number of oversights and negligent practices when it comes to safely and securely loading bunkers onto a vessel. The London Club has detailed a number of practical guidelines that would ensure accidents like this do not occur. This includes:

Ensure all crew responsible for bunkering operations have sufficient experience and knowledge
Follow prescribed SMS bunkering procedures
Have toolbox meetings to discuss all operations
Agree an emergency signal and procedure with the bunker barge
Clearly mark all valves with the spaces they serve
Do not allow distractions such as mobile phones on duty
Do not falsify documents

The London Club provides guidance to the technical services and emergency contact details for ITOPF, which covers promoting effective responses to marine spills. You can read more here: https://www.londonpandi.com/our-services/pollution-information/

Note: London P&I’s video on ‘Bunker Operations/Spill – Loss Prevention Case Study’ can be viewed here.

Photo credit: Shaah Shahidh on Unsplash
Published: 10 November, 2023

Related Topics:Legal - Crime Others - Environment

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Methanol

Marine Fuels 360: Methanol presents easiest path towards maritime decarbonisation, says DNV

Captain Singh was confident the bunkering infrastructure in Singapore will be ready to welcome methanol-fuelled vessels due to the coordinated efforts between various agencies.

Published

10 hours ago

December 6, 2023

Admin

The use of methanol as a bunker fuel presents the least path of resistance towards maritime decarbonisation, believes the Principal Consultant, Head, Research and Development, Maritime Advisory, SE Asia, Pacific, and India at classification society DNV.

Captain Satinder Singh Virdi was speaking amongst panellists in the Methanol Panel session at Marine Fuels 360 on Tuesday (28 November) when he offered an opinion about reasons behind the increasing awareness of methanol as a marine fuel.

“The ease of adopting methanol is perhaps one of the reasons. The product exists as a liquid at ambient temperature and has been carried on vessels for the last 80 years, so it is not something new,” he stated.

“What is new is we're going to use methanol as a bunker fuel. Ease of adoption, ESG compliance, as well as getting closer to decarbonisation goals are the drivers for shipowners adopting methanol.”

According to Captain Singh, the trend for methanol-fuelled newbuildings have continued in October where DNV’s Alternative Fuels Insight (AFI) platform recorded 230 vessels on order where 156 comprises of containerships.

“The trend started when Maersk increased their newbuild order of methanol-fuelled vessels; before that it was mostly LNG as an alternate fuel,” he said.

Captain Singh was confident the bunkering infrastructure in Singapore will be ready to welcome methanol-fuelled vessels due to the coordinated efforts between the Singapore Shipping Association, Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation, and other organisations.

“We are all working together to support Singapore’s future maritime operations. Singapore is an international maritime centre, and we want to establish ourselves as the leading maritime city,” he explained.

“I would call this a cohesive action by all relevant partners, such as shipowners, charterers, classification societies, ship managers, bunker testing firms, mass flow meter manufacturers, bunkering companies, and more.

“It is important for Singapore to be seen as a fair supporter of bunkering in terms of reliability and reputation, and if things go wrong actions are taken very strictly to ensure transparency and quality. So, in that way I am satisfied to say that ‘yes’ we have what it takes to make methanol bunkering happen.”

Photo credit: Informa
Published: 6 November 2023

Ammonia

Höegh Autoliners, Sumitomo to collaborate on ammonia bunker fuel supply for PCTCs in Singapore, Jacksonville

Duo will embark on a comprehensive evaluation of the compatibility between Höegh Autoliners PCTC newbuilds and ammonia bunkering facilities at the identified bunker ports.

Published

10 hours ago

December 6, 2023

Admin

Höegh Autoliners, Sumitomo to collaborate on ammonia bunker fuel supply for PCTCs in Singapore, Jacksonville

Norway-based pure Car and Truck Carriers (PCTCs) vessel owner and operator Höegh Autoliners on Tuesday (5 December) said it has agreed with Sumitomo Corporation to look into the supply of clean ammonia as a bunker fuel at the ports of Singapore and Jacksonville, USA from 2027 onwards.

The two companies have formalised their commitment through a Letter of Intent to collaborate on the supply and delivery of clean ammonia as a next-generation sustainable maritime fuel for Höegh Autoliners’ upcoming Aurora Class PCTC vessels.

The twelve vessels are set to become the largest and most eco-friendly car carriers ever built and they will have the capability to run on zero-carbon ammonia or carbon neutral methanol.

“The Letter of Intent symbolises a remarkable step in the realisation and development of the production and consumption of clean maritime fuels. The collaboration hopes to stimulate the upscaling of the supply and demand of clean ammonia for maritime usage,” Höegh Autoliners said in a statement.

Both companies view clean ammonia as a promising future fuel for the maritime industry, offering substantial potential in addressing the challenges associated with greenhouse gas emissions in global shipping.

To support this vision, both entities have launched a range of initiatives throughout the ammonia value chain, with a primary focus on making clean ammonia a viable choice for maritime fuel and thereby achieving significant reductions in emissions from the global shipping sector.

Moving forward, the companies will embark on a comprehensive evaluation of the compatibility between the PCTC vessels and the ammonia bunkering facilities at the identified bunker ports.

They endeavour to make necessary adjustments to specifications for both “shore-to-ship” and “ship-to-ship” bunkering operations and undertake safety assessments to establish standardised operational protocols and regulations in close coordination with pertinent government agencies.

Photo credit: Höegh Autoliners
Published: 6 December, 2023

Alternative Fuels

CENIT and Hinicio to explore feasibility of zero-carbon bunkers in Colombia

Mission is to explore the feasibility of producing, storing, supplying, and exporting zero-carbon bunker fuels at strategic port locations in Colombia, says centre.

Published

10 hours ago

December 6, 2023

Admin

The Centre for Innovation in Transport (CENIT) on Tuesday (5 December) said it was teaming up with Hinicio, a strategy consulting firm focused on sustainable energy and mobility, for a project funded by The World Bank in Colombia.

CENIT said their mission was to explore the feasibility of producing, storing, supplying, and exporting zero-carbon bunker fuels at strategic port locations in Colombia.

“The shipping industry is poised to become a major demand centre for zero-carbon fuels, particularly green hydrogen-based options like green ammonia and green methanol,” CENIT said in a social media post.

“And it will play a pivotal role in transporting these zero-carbon fuels from emerging production hubs in Latin America to high-demand centres in Europe and East Asia.”

“This project takes us a step closer to decarbonising ports and fostering a sustainable future for maritime transportation.”

Photo credit: Luis Desiro on Unsplash
Published: 6 December, 2023