RA60 – One of a series of Steamship Mutual Loss Prevention Bulletins For further information please contact the Loss Prevention Department Steamship Insurance Management Services Ltd. Tel: +44 20 7247 5490 Page 1 of 3 Email: loss.prevention@simsl.com www.steamshipmutual.com/loss-prevention/ Bunker fuel quality problems Contents  Information on the recent fuel quality problems and regions affected  Source of fuel quality information  Precautionary recommendations -for vessels requiring bunkers, have recently bunkered and facing engine problems post bunkering:  General recommendations Reported fuel quality problems Recently an unusually large number of engine breakdown incidents have been reported on board vessels that have stemmed bunkers from Houston, USA and surrounding areas. The problems have been mainly in the fuel injection system of both main and auxiliary engines across a number of manufacturers, and in all cases the fuels in question have been the RMG380 grade residual fuel oil. Failures such as sticking or seizure of the fuel pump and fuel injector have been reported, although there have also been some reports of clogging of fuel filters and purifiers. Subsequent laboratory analysis carried out by various recognised testing facilities have reported possible contaminants in the fuel: in particular, phenolic compounds (4-Cumyl Phenol), fatty acids in smaller proportions, and a number of other compounds that are not usually found in blended fuel oils. These are said to be the constituents for industrial epoxy resins added in for their “sticky” property. These constituents of the bunkers are suspected to be the cause of the sticking fuel pumps and fuel injectors. The source of the contaminants has yet to be established but is suspected to have been introduced through the lighter cutter stocks that are commonly blended to make the heavier residuals usable as fuel oil on board ships. Source of fuel quality information The Club understands that approximately 80 - 100 vessels are now considered to have been affected after taking bunkers in the Houston area. Similar problems have also been reported on vessels with bunkers stemmed in the Panama Canal. However, no direct connection with the bunkers from Houston area has yet been established. The magnitude of the problem has prompted the USCG to issue an alert highlighting the presence of the deleterious compounds. The recent reports by LR FOBAS and USCG are included below for reference. As is a link to the VPS newsletter highlighting the presence of phenolic compounds. http://www.v-p-s.com/latest-news/6th-june-2018bunker-bulletin-cause-and-effect Many Members routinely carry out standard bunker analysis in accordance with ISO 8217 but it is important to be aware that these standards will not be able to identify these contaminants. Instead, various advanced tests such as gas chromatographymass spectrometry (GC-MS) and/or infrared spectroscopy have been carried out by the recognised laboratories to identify possible contaminants. MARPOL Annex VI Reg. 18 and ISO 8217:2010 Clause 5.5 prohibits the inclusion of deleterious materials in bunker fuel which can cause damage to machinery, the environment or personnel. A declaration to this effect is usually contained within the Bunker Delivery Note. It is therefore not considered necessary for vessels to regularly carry out these advanced tests for possible contaminants. RA60 – One of a series of Steamship Mutual Loss Prevention Bulletins For f