Business
VPS identifies new bunker fuel contamination at Houston
VPS detected presence of Dicyclopentadiene and associated isomers at significantly high levels in VLSFO bunker fuel deliveries in Houston; 11 vessels using this fuel have reported loss of power and propulsion.
Marine fuels testing company VPS on Monday (10 July) said it has identified via its fuel testing services, a new marine fuel contamination issue in Houston.
VPS detected the presence of Dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) and associated isomers at significantly high levels in VLSFO bunker fuel deliveries in Houston. These chemical contaminants were detected using in-house GC-MS (Gas Chromatography – Mass Spectrometer) analytical methodologies. VPS has issued a Bunker Alert to its customers referring to these fuel deliveries made by a single supplier during the months of March to May 2023. Problems associated with these bunkers occurred after this fuel was combusted several weeks after bunkering.
Eleven vessels using this fuel have now reported loss of power and subsequent loss of propulsion whilst at sea. These effects resulted from fuel leakage in the ICU (Injection Control Unit) units and fuel pumps not being able to develop the required fuel pressure. Both main and auxiliary engines were affected although failures to auxiliary engines were more commonly reported.
One VPS customer highlighted the issues they encountered when using this Houston VLSFO: the first sign of problems after changing over to this fuel was the failure of the fuel pump and fuel injectors of the auxiliary engines. All the three auxiliary engines subsequently faced the same issues and was unable to produce the required power resulting in a complete blackout and loss of propulsion. The auxiliary engine pumps exhibited significant leakage and the fuel injectors were ceased. Both, fuel pumps and fuel injectors required repeated replacement until no spares remained.
This customer also reported that this fuel had a significant impact on the purification system. It was noted that the purifiers could not remove the high cat fines that were present in the fuel under normal engine operating speed. To keep the purifier operational, main engines required running at low rpm than normal, to reduce the fuel consumption thereby reducing the purifier feed-rate.
Due to restrictions in power, the vessel had restricted manoeuvrability as they could not operate their thrusters. The vessel had to change to LSMGO (Low Sulphur Marine Gas Oil) to arrive safely to the port.
DCPD’s are unsaturated chemical compounds which can polymerise and oxidise under certain conditions. However, the rate of this polymerisation process can be reduced by the presence of inhibitors that are typically found within fuel oil.
Should these compounds start polymerising, the fuel begins to exhibit a level of stickiness and become more viscous, making it difficult for moving components, such as fuel pump plungers and the fuel injector spindles to move freely. These effects cause damage to the fuel injection system. Over a period of time excessive sludge formation is likely to be experienced.
The DCPD compounds that were detected in this fuel ranged from 3,000 to 7,000 ppm (0.3-0.7%).
A number of vessels, had been pre-warned by VPS of the potential high-concentration DCPD contamination of their fuel, via a “Caution” result from the VPS Chemical Screening service, highlighting the value of this pre-burn service provided by VPS.
Photo credit: VPS
Published: 11 July, 2023
Milestone
Singapore retains titles as Best Global Seaport and Best Seaport in Asia
Port of Singapore has been named the “Best Global Seaport” for the third consecutive year and the “Best Seaport in Asia” for the 35th time at the 2023 AFLAS Awards.
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore on Friday (29 September) said the Port of Singapore has been named the “Best Global Seaport” for the third consecutive year and the “Best Seaport in Asia” for the 35th time at the 2023 Asian Freight, Logistics and Supply Chain (AFLAS) Awards.
These accolades recognise the contributions by the Port of Singapore serving as a key node in the global supply chain, and Singapore’s leadership in driving maritime decarbonisation and transformation.
The annual AFLAS Awards is organised by freight and logistics publication, Asia Cargo News, to honour leading service providers in the supply chain community for demonstrating leadership as well as consistency in service quality, innovation, customer relationship management and reliability. Winners were determined by votes cast by readers of the publication.
Mr Chee Hong Tat, Acting Minister for Transport and Senior Minister of State for Finance, said: “Singapore is honoured to be named the Best Global Seaport and Best Seaport in Asia. These awards are the result of the shared effort and strong collaboration between the Government, industry, unions and workers. We will continue to grow our port as an efficient, sustainable, and trusted node in global supply chains.”
Mr Teo Eng Dih, Chief Executive of MPA, said: “These awards are testament to the partnership and collaboration between Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) with industry and international partners, the research and enterprise community, as well as unions. MPA remains committed to fostering an environment that encourages enterprise, innovation, and talent development.”
“We will continue to work with our partners to enhance Singapore’s connectivity, advance digitalisation efforts, and accelerate the decarbonisation of international shipping in line with the 2023 IMO strategy on reduction of GHG emissions from ships.”
Photo credit: Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore
Published: 29 September, 2023
Employment
Melvin Lum appointed as KPI OceanConnect Global Accounts Commercial Director in Singapore
Lum will take on the position of Commercial Director from Thomas Lee who was recently promoted to Head of APAC in a management restructure within KPI OceanConnect.
Biofuel
TotalEnergies Marine Fuels renews ISCC EU certification for bio bunker fuel
Firm’s operations teams in Singapore and Geneva successfully renewed its ISCC EU sustainability certification for the supply of biofuel bunkers, says Louise Tricoire, Vice President.
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