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Skuld: Cat fines causing claims

Skuld issues advice on preventing engine damage from catalytic fines found in low sulphur fuel oil.

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The following is an article written by Margrete A. Nordahl, Claims Director, Master Mariner H&M, at marine insurance provider Skuld on preventing engine damage from catalytic fines in marine fuel oil:

Introduction
The demand for low sulphur fuel oil has steadily increased over the years, concurrent with the changing and more stringent requirements of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) concerning air pollution.

Low sulphur fuel oils (LSFO) typically have a higher content of catalytic fines (cat fines) than high sulphur fuels, as fines end up in the low-sulphur by-products from refining processes and the by-products are blended with residual fuels to reduce their sulphur content.

ISO Standard 8217:2012 introduced a maximum permissible 60 ppm level of cat fines, expressed as Aluminium + Silicon, for marine residual fuels, a reduction from the 80 ppm levels in ISO 8217:2005. The level of 60 ppm Al+Si is maintained in the latest published ISO 8217:2017 Fuel Standard.

Engine manufacturers generally recommend a maximum of 15 ppm level of cat fines in the fuel entering the engines. As this level is significantly lower than the levels specified in the ISO Standards, it is essential to ensure adequate fuel handling and purification equipment and procedures are in place onboard to effectively bring the levels of cat fines in the fuel below 15 ppm.

As catalytic fines are very hard, they embed in the softer metal surfaces of cylinder liners, piston grooves and rings. Cat fines are particularly damaging to cylinder liners, because their surfaces are not polished or smooth.

Included below is a summary of recommendations on what the vessel should do to reduce the risk of damage to engines due to catalytic fines in marine bunker fuel [1] (Joint Hull Committee JH2013/006).

Before delivery of bunker fuel
It should be ensured that sufficient numbers of empty and clean tanks are ready to receive the new fuel and that there is sufficient existing fuel onboard to allow time for testing and receipt of analysis reports, in order that engineering advice can be acted on before the new fuel is used.

Drip samplers and equipment needed for taking representative samples of the fuel during bunker should be prepared and ready for use.

During and after bunkering

  • Draw continuous and representative bunker samples from each bunker source, barge or tanker during bunkering.
  • Arrange quickest possible dispatch of fuel samples from the bunker port to a laboratory for analysis.
  • Testing should preferably be against the latest ISO 8217 specification.
  • Await return of the fuel analysis report before using the new bunkers.

Storage of bunker fuel
Newly received fuel should, as far as practicable possible, be placed in empty tanks and blending of different parcels of bunkers should be avoided. If blending is unavoidable, it is strongly recommended that compatibility tests are carried out in advance of the fuels being blended.

Water and settled bottom sediments from fuel storage, settling and service tanks should be drained frequently. Settling and service tanks should also be cleaned regularly, at least once a year, to avoid long term build-up of cat fines and sediments at the bottom of the tanks [2] (Maurstad Marine Consult 2018). Cleaning of fuel oil storage tanks (bottom tanks) should as a minimum be done during each dry docking.

Fuel oil settling tanks should be drained for water at frequent intervals during periods of operation on heavy fuel, as cat fines are hydrophilic (dissolve/mix with water).

It is essential that oil drained from the fuel oil backwash filters is not reintroduced into the fuel treatment system.

Fuel oil purification
Never by-pass fuel filtering equipment! It could result in introduction of contaminated fuel to the engines.

  • Monitor and optimize fuel separator performance.
  • Where possible, run two purifiers in parallel with minimum flow.
  • Keep the HFO fuel inlet temperature at the optimal temperature of 98?C to ensure efficient purification.
  • In a conventional purification plant ensure the optimal gravity disc corresponds with the actual fuel.
  • Purifier capacity should be sufficient to deal with daily consumption plus 10% allowing some recirculation of fuel in the settling tank.
  • Arrange regular efficiency tests, by fuel specialist bodies.

Maintenance of equipment

  • Fuel system filters should be inspected and cleaned regularly – not only when alarms are activated.
  • Fuel treatment heaters to be regularly opened and cleaned to maintain optimal purification temperature.
  • Purifiers opened and cleaned at scheduled intervals, as per manufacturers recommendations.
  • More frequent cleaning if fuel quality is suspected to be poor.
  • If "dirty" fuels have been bunkered a few times, tanks should be cleaned at shorter intervals to avoid high concentration of cat fines at the engine inlet.
  • Adequate stock of spares onboard, necessary to maintain purifiers in good working condition.
  • If in doubt, ship's staff should seek advice from their superintendent or technical department.

PREVENTION BETTER THAN CURE!
It is recommended that ship's staff treat all residual fuel oils as if they contain cat fines. Bunker management plans should be available onboard the vessels and it must be ensured that responsible personnel is sufficiently familiarized and trained to fully and independently operate and maintain the fuel handling and treatment systems and that ship officers are familiar with requirements and recommendations by owner, operator and Industry Standards.

Take regular oil samples from the fuel oil settling- and service tank(s) and forward these to laboratory for analysis. The results received will give an indication of purifier performance and condition of fuel oil fed to the engine(s).

If ship's engineers see any signs or have suspicions that damaging levels of cat fines have entered the engine(s), they must take immediate actions necessary to prevent damages or escalation of damages in the vessels machinery. In the event cat fines have contaminated the low-pressure fuel oil system. – also the low-pressure fuel oil piping system must be thoroughly flushed [2].

Case study
The cargo vessel was on a laden voyage when heavy smoke started rising from the funnel. Her main engine was stopped and inspections revealed scratch marks and cracks in one of the cylinder liners (pictured). A new piston was fitted and the voyage continued to the destination port. On arrival, further inspections revealed cracks in another cylinder liner, worn piston ring grooves and broken / seized piston rings, despite the units only having 1,000 running hours.

High and low sulphur Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) had been bunkered recently and samples had been sent for testing. The Aluminium + Silicon level in the fuel was found to be high, but within the ISO specification. An attention warning was given by the fuel testing laboratory on how to handle and pre-condition the low-sulphur fuel before entering the engine.

The vessel's engineers increased the temperature and lowered the feed rate of separators, but did not run separators in series, as advised. One separator was running while the other was kept in stand-by.

Investigations revealed that the primary cause of the very costly engine damages was the failure in correctly handling and purifying the fuel in order to reduce the presence of cat fines to the level recommended by engine manufacturers.

[1] Joint Hull Committee (2013), "Marine Engine Damage due to Catalytic Fines in Fuel", London
[2] Maurstad Marineconsult (2018)

Photo credit: Skuld
Published: 5 July, 2018

 

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Bunker Fuel

Singapore: Bunker sales volume raises to year record high of 4.88 million mt in May

Bio-blended variants of marine fuel oil jumped 671.7% to 40,900 mt when compared to figures seen in May 2024.

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SG bunker performance May 2025

Bunker fuel sales at Singapore port inched forward by 1.1% on year in May 2025, the highest volume seen in 2025, according to Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) data.

In total, 4.88 million metric tonnes (mt) (exact 4,878,100 mt) of various marine fuel grades were delivered at the world’s largest bunkering port in April, up from 4.83 million mt (4,826,800 mt) recorded during the similar month in 2024.

Deliveries of marine fuel oil, low sulphur fuel oil, ultra low sulphur fuel oil, marine gas oil and marine diesel oil in May (against on year) recorded respectively 1.89 million mt (+8.6% from 1.74 million mt), 2.45 million mt (-7.2% from 2.64 million mt), 1,200 mt (from zero), 1,700 mt (-88% from 14,300 mt) and zero (from zero).

SG bunker port performance May 2025

Bio-blended variants of marine fuel oil, low sulphur fuel oil, ultra low sulphur fuel oil, marine gas oil and marine diesel oil in May (against on year) recorded respectively 40,900 mt (+671.7% from 5,300 mt), 95,800 mt (+97.9% from 48,400 mt), 700 mt (from zero), zero (from zero) and zero (from 300 mt). B100 biofuel bunkers, introduced in February this year, recorded 1,900 mt of deliveries in May.

LNG and methanol sales were respectively 45,000 mt (-7.8% from 48,800) and zero (from 1,600 mt). There were no recorded sales of ammonia for the month and so far in 2025.

Related: Singapore: Bunker fuel sales increase by 4% on year in April 2025
RelatedSingapore: Bunker fuel sales increase by 0.5% on year in March 2025
Related: Singapore: Bunker fuel sales down by 8.1% on year in February 2025
Related: Singapore: Bunker fuel sales down by 9.1% on year in January 2025

A complete series of articles on Singapore bunker volumes reported by Manifold Times tracked since 2018 can be found via the link here.

 

Photo credit: Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore
Published: 16 June 2025

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Bunker Fuel

Panama bunker sales volume up 13.9% on year to 453,397 mt in May 2025

Total bunker sales at Panama was 453,397 metric tonnes (mt) in May 2025, compared to sales of 398,964 mt during the similar period in 2024.

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RESIZED Panama

Bunker fuel sales at Panama increased by 13.9% in May 2025, according to the latest data from La Autoridad Maritima de Panama, also known as the Panama Maritime Authority (PMA).

Total bunker sales at Panama was 453,397 metric tonnes (mt) in May 2025, compared to sales of 398,964 mt during the similar period in 2024.

In May 2025, the Pacific side of Panama posted bunker sales of 368,419 mt; 213,589 mt of VLSFO, 117,297 mt of RMG 380, 1,538 of marine gas oil (MGO), and 35,995 mt of low sulphur marine gas oil (LSMGO) were delivered.

The similar region saw total marine sales of 323,084 mt a year before in May; with VLSFO sales at 184,761 mt, RMG 380 sales at 112,011 mt, MGO sales at 2,199 mt, and 24,113 mt of LSMGO being sold.

Panama’s Atlantic side, meanwhile, recorded total bunker fuel sales of 84,978 during May 2025; the figure comprised 63,318 mt of VLSFO, 8,575 mt of RMG 380, 1,987 mt of MGO, and 11,098 mt of LSMGO.

It saw total sales of 74,980 mt in May a year before; with VLSFO sales of 59,855 mt, RMG 380 sales of 6,508 mt, 1,545 mt of MGO, and LSMGO sales of 7,072 mt.

 

Photo credit: George Keel
Published: 16 June 2025

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Research

GCMD presents key learnings from ammonia STS transfer trial at Pilbara, Australia

Findings share operational recommendations for both bunker tankers and receiving vessels for ammonia bunkering operations.

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GCMD path to zero carbon shipping

The Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) on Friday (13 June) launched its Path to Zero-Carbon Shipping – Insights from ammonia transfer trial in the Pilbara report.

The document captures key learnings from a pilot involving the ship-to-ship transfer of liquid ammonia between two gas carriers — the Green Pioneer and the Navigator Global — at anchorage off Port Dampier in the Pilbara, Western Australia.

The trial demonstrated that ship-to-ship ammonia transfer at anchorage can be both safe and practicable, provided that recommended safeguards and operational controls are implemented.

To share these crucial learnings with the industry, the report offers quantitative insights from executing the trial, forming a reference for future pilots and eventual commercial-scale operations.

The report offers:

Project background and objectives: An overview of the trial’s goals and operational context

Detailed safety studies covering four key areas:

  • Feasibility: Response motions and mooring analysis
  • Risks: HAZID and HAZOP findings and mitigations
  • Consequences: Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) plume dispersion modelling
  • Response: Emergency Response measures and protocols

Operation execution overview: A detailed account of the actual transfer operation, including the Joint Plan of Operations (JPO), assets deployed and a timeline of key events.

Optimising ammonia bunkering: Operational recommendations for both bunker tankers and receiving vessels, covering aspects such as transfer system setup, manifold arrangement, sample collection and more. A checklist of ERP resources required onboard is also included.

“In the past, bunkering guidelines took years to develop and were typically derived from experience with actual operations,” said Professor Lynn Loo, CEO of GCMD.

“In this case, guideline development is preceding actual commercial-scale operations, making it all the more important that these trials are as informative and comprehensive as possible so they can serve as a relevant reference for industry bodies in refining safe handling procedures, emergency response plans, and operational guidelines.”

Note: The full report of Path to Zero-Carbon Shipping – Insights from ammonia transfer trial in the Pilbara can be downloaded here.

 

Photo credit: Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation
Published: 16 June 2025

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