French testing, inspection and certification firm Bureau Veritas recently provided Singapore bunkering publication Manifold Times a copy of its VeriFuel Fuel Quality Testing Annual Report 2024 which provides an overview of marine fuel quality, emerging trends, and compliance levels based on all tested bunker samples across its laboratories. The following is a summary of the report:

Quality Trends and Comparisons:

2024 vs. Previous Years

This section provides a year-over-year comparison of fuel quality, trends, and compliance.

Residual Fuels

The proportion of HSFO samples has increased over the last four years, driven by the growing number of scrubber-fitted vessels. In 2024, almost 1 out of 5 tested samples were HSFO [Figure 1].

Comparison to specification

• ULSFO out-of-spec samples have been decreasing since 2021, mainly due to sulphur and water content improvements.
• The number of VLSFO samples being out-of-spec has slightly decreased over the years.
• HSFO out-of-spec samples increased by approximately 0.5% in 2024, mainly due to water content.

VLSFO

Although the portion of VLSFO out-of-spec samples has steadily decreased since 2021, a slight increase in the samples within the 95% confidence limit was observed in 2024 compared to 2023 [Figure 3].

Viscosity trends

Since their introduction to the market in 2020, the VLSFOs have experienced a shift towards higher average viscosity @ 50 °C [Figure 4].

One of the major changes in ISO 8217:2024 is the introduction of minimum viscosity. As a result, approximately 35% of fuels classified as RMG380 in ISO 8217:2010/2012/2017 would not meet the ISO 8217:2024 RMG380 grade limits due to the minimum viscosity requirements [Figure 5].

There are notable regional differences when it comes to how well fuels supplied today would meet the ISO 8217:2024 limits [Figure 6]. In some major bunker ports such as Houston, Santos, Busan, as many as 75% would fail the ISO 8217:2024 RMG380 grade while in Algeciras, Zona Comun and Las Palmas most fuels would comply.

ULSFO

The portion of ULSFO out-of-spec samples has steadily decreased since 2021. A slight increase in the samples within the 95% confidence limit was observed in 2024 compared to 2023 [Figure 7].

HSFO

The portion of HSFO out-of-spec samples increased in 2024 compared to 2023, while the samples within the 95% confidence limit remained at a similar level.

Distillate fuel (DMA 0.10% sulphur)

The portion of out-of-spec DMA samples steadily increased, exceeding 3% in 2024. Samples within the 95% confidence limit follow the same trend with an increase in 2024 compared to previous years [Figure 9].

Photo credit: Bureau Veritas
Published: 12 March, 2025

Lloyd’s Register’s Fuel Oil Bunkering Analysis and Advisory Service (FOBAS) on Thursday (27 February) highlighted rising biofuel uptake, ongoing issues with off-specification fuels and the impact of new regulatory measures in its latest report. 

Mirroring trends from the first half of 2024, the FOBAS Fuel Quality Report H2 2024 identified off-specification sulphur content results as a significant concern.  

Almost 2.5% of tested Very Low Sulphur Fuel Oil (VLSFO) samples, particularly ISO8217 RMG380 grade, recorded sulphur levels between 0.50% mass and 0.53% mass. 

“Although these fuels technically comply with MARPOL Annex VI regulations when accounting for test precision allowances, they continue to create uncertainty for ship operators,” it said. 

A further 0.8% of VLSFO samples exceeded 0.53% mass, placing vessels at risk of non-compliance. 

“The data shows some improvement from 2023, but suppliers are urged to aim for stricter adherence to the 0.50% limit to avoid compliance disputes,” it added.

The report also highlighted that total sediment remained a major issue, with 2024 seeing a rise after previous improvements. Asphaltene instability in fuel blends is a common cause, with Houston and Antwerp identified as high-risk areas in this respect.  

Distillate fuels, while generally of higher quality, also presented issues, particularly in cold flow properties and compliance with the SOLAS flash point requirement of minimum 60oC. The number of marine gas oil (MGO) samples with flash points below 60oC increased in 2024, a trend that poses both statutory compliance and safety risks. This can partly be attributed to unintentional or intentional mixing with automotive diesel in some countries which has a lower flash point limit.  

Looking ahead, the report anticipated that the Mediterranean SOx (Sulphur Oxides) Emission Control Area (SECA), may alter bunkering patterns and fuel quality in specific ports. Ships operating in the Mediterranean will need to use fuels with a sulphur content of 0.10% mass or lower, unless using approved SOx abatement technology. This regulatory shift may drive changes in fuel availability and pricing across key Mediterranean ports, requiring careful planning by ship operators.

The latest analysis from FOBAS also highlighted a significant increase in biofuel usage, primarily driven by EU and IMO regulations, including the Mediterranean SECA coming into effect on 1 May 2025. 

Biofuels continue their rise in the marine fuel mix, driven by regulatory incentives and industry decarbonisation commitments. 

The report noted the increasing use of Fatty Acid Methyl Ester (FAME) residual blends (RF grade), particularly in Singapore, Algeciras, and the ARA region. 

“While many vessels have successfully adopted biofuels without reported issues, concerns remain regarding transparency in composition and the potential risk of unknown quality biofuel stocks entering the supply chain,” it said.

 Usman Muhammad, FOBAS Product Manager, said: “Fuel quality continues to be a key operational concern for the maritime industry. While we see some improvements in certain areas, the recurrence of high sediment levels, sulphur compliance issues, and emerging challenges with biofuels underline the need for rigorous fuel testing, reassessment of onboard fuel management and supply chain transparency.”

“As the regulatory landscapes evolve and alternative fuels gain traction, ship operators must remain proactive in assessing fuel quality to ensure compliance and maintain high operational efficiency.”

Note: The latest FOBAS Fuel Quality Report can be found here. 

Photo credit: Hans Reniers on Unsplash
Published: 28 February, 2025

Steve Bee, Commercial Director of marine fuels testing company VPS, on Tuesday (18 February) elaborated on key trends and insights in a 2024 Marine Bunker Fuels Review. 

The following are excerpts of the analysis:

Introduction

2024 saw the continuing evolution and widening of available maritime fuel types and grades, as the global shipping industry continues to gather decarbonisation momentum to reduce its emissions to meet current and future legislation targets. Existing CII and EEXI requirements, plus EU ETS legislation, saw increasing demand for additional testing, lower-carbon fuels, data and digitalisation solutions across the shipping sectors.

As the leading maritime decarbonisation testing and advisory services provider, VPS continued to be at the forefront of marine fuels and lubricants analysis, utilising our experience, expertise and innovative approach, to support the drive for a more sustainable shipping fleet.  

Throughout the year, VPS witnessed further fuel quality issues with VLSFOs in terms of, sulphur compliance, cold-flow properties, water and cat-fines. In addition, MGO suffered from cold-flow, flash point and FAME off-specifications.

Biofuels usage saw a continuing increase in demand from the market, leading to increasing queries regarding their fuel management and their “fit-for-purpose” as a drop-in marine fuel. This in turn called upon VPS to provide answers and solutions to customers, utilising our extensive knowledge and understanding of biofuels and their associated test parameters.

The launch of the new revision of the international marine fuel quality standard ISO8217:2024 was very much welcomed by the industry. This new revision saw the specification tables increase from two to four, with the inclusion of a <0.50% Sulphur specification and also biofuels in the form of FAME, HVO, GTL and/or, BTL.

2024 witnessed very strong newbuild contracting (2,765 ships of 124.2m GT), the highest in tonnage terms since 2007 (173.4m GT). With 820 of these vessels being “alternative fuel capable”, showing the fuelling transition is still very much in focus.

The Marine Fuel Mix

Across 2024, the fuel mix with respect to samples received for testing in VPS laboratories, equated to more than 65 million MT, which averages at 5.4 million MT of marine fuels per month. VLSFO was the most popular marine fuel with 52% of the fuels used, followed by 32% HSFO, 14% MGO, 1% ULSFO and 1% Biofuels. Regarding biofuels usage, the samples tested by VPS equated to an increase from 558,000 MT in 2023 to 800,000MT in 2024.

VPS Bunker Alerts

Bunker Alerts highlight short term quality fuel quality issues identified by VPS, for a specific test parameter of a specific fuel grade/type in a specific port. The service provides valuable information to customers, to assist in avoiding potentially problematic fuel types in a highlighted port or region, to further protect the customer’s asset and crew.

In 2024, VPS issued 27 Bunker Alerts, one less than in 2023. The 2024 Bunker Alerts included the major fuel grades, i.e. VLSFO, HSFO and MGO, 8 different test parameters and 13 ports.

46% of the 2024 Bunker Alerts were for VLSFO fuels, followed by 32% for HSFO fuels and 21% for MGO. The most common problematic parameter was Sodium (9), accounting for 33% of the Bunker Alerts, followed by Flash Point (8) accounting for 30% of the Bunker Alerts.

Singapore (30%) and ARA (26%) were the regions/ports most frequently requiring a Bunker Alert to be issued. But as these are the two busiest bunkering regions, it is not too surprising.

VLSFO Fuel Quality

As the most used marine fuel type, VLSFO accounts for more than half of the fuels tested by VPS. In terms of quality, VLSFO had an off-specification rate of 5.4% in 2024. Of the 5.4% VLSFO off-specifications, Europe provided the highest level of off-specification VLSFOs in both 2024 (11.9%) and 2023 (7.9%). North America provided the next highest level of off-specification VLSFO with 7% of fuels tested exhibiting at least one off-specification parameter in 2024 and 4.4% in 2023. South America had the third highest VLSFO off-specification rate with 5.9% off-specs versus 3.8% in 2023.

Sulphur is the most common off-specification parameter of VLSFOs, accounting for 44% of VLSFO off-specs in 2024 and 28% in 2023. When it comes to looking at all VLSFOs tested, 0.5% had a sulphur content >0.53%, whilst 1.9% of samples tested were between 0.50%-0.53% sulphur and the remaining 97.6% had a sulphur content of <0.50%.

Pour Point was also a common off-specification parameter for VLSFOs with 13% of VLSFOs off-specs relating to this parameter, a decrease against the 16% level witnessed in 2023.

The importance of the additional cold-flow test of Wax Appearance Temperature (WAT) and Wax Disappearance Temperature (WDT), was further highlighted in 2024 with 57% of VLSFOs exhibiting WAT of 31-40ºC and 11% having WAT between 41-50ºC. 54% of VLSFO samples had a WDT of 41-50ºC, with 20% having a WDT of >50ºC. VLSFOs cold-flow properties are a definite concern with wax precipitating from the fuel at temperatures way in excess of 10ºC above the pour point, potentially causing numerous operational problems such as filter and pipework blockages.

2024 saw a very similar distribution of cat-fines results across all VLSFOs tested compared to 2023, with only 0.6% of samples showing cat-fine levels of greater than 60ppm and hence off-specification. 19% of all VLSFOs showed a cat-fine level greater than 40ppm. Frequent checking of purifier efficiency via VPS’ Fuel System Checks (FSC) service is a highly recommended proactive safeguard in respect to increased cat-fines within VLSFOs.

HSFO Fuel Quality

HSFO represents almost 32% of all bunker samples received by VPS for testing, indicating a relatively high level of scrubber usage onboard vessels today. 10.4% of HSFOs tested in 2024 were off-specification for at least one test parameter. In terms of regional HSFO off-specifications, South America accounted for 29% of off-specs, compared to 30.5% in 2023. Second highest off-spec region was Europe, with 21% in 2024 compared to 21.4% in 2023 and North America was third with 11.5% of HSFO off-specs in 2023, compared to 9.5% in 2023.

As usual, viscosity and density were the two most common HSFO off-spec parameters in 2024, with 54% of the off-spec attributed to viscosity and 21% to density, compared to 43% and 33% respectively in 2023. Water was the third most frequent HSFO off-specification parameter in 2024, with 13% off-spec level compared to 10.5% in 2023. 

Whilst cat-fines accounted for 3% of HSFO off-specs in 2024, this was lower than the 2023 level of 4%. Again, like VLSFOs it highlights the importance of Fuel System Checks (FSC) to protect the engine from potential damage from this corrosive contaminant, by improving purifier efficiency. 20% of HSFOs had a cat-fine level of >40ppm in 2024.

Summary

With over 50 reported cases of major operational issues, covering main and auxiliary engine cases plus, fuel delivery system related problems, due to fuel stability, sludging, cat-fines, cold flow properties and chemical contamination, 2024 once again highlighted the importance of bunker fuel quality testing, as a proactive means to protect vessels, their crew and the environment. With additional tests, currently not included within ISO8217, providing further vital information in achieving heightened levels of protection.

Biofuels usage continued to increase in demand and importance, as ship owners and operators look to achieve improvements through CII, EEXI, as well as looking to counter the financial impact of the EU ETS scheme.

The revision of ISO8217 released on 30th May 2024, was a welcomed improvement on previous revisions, but still not a fully comprehensive solution in vessel, crew and environmental protection. Therefore, additional tests continue to hold an important role in fuel management.

Methanol demand and usage will also grow, with a rapidly growing order book for methanol-powered vessels. Yet, methanol also comes with a host of fuel management challenges, with testing playing a major role in ensuring quality and fit-for-purpose considerations.

So, 2025, suggests another year of widening marine fuel types and grades coming to market, coupled with their growing fuel management considerations.

Note: The full copy of VPS’ 2024 Marine Bunker Fuels Review can be viewed here. 

Photo credit: VPS
Published: 19 February, 2025