Contaminated bunker epidemic spreads far and wide

Contaminated bunker epidemic spreads far and wide
Sam Chambers August 24th, 2018 https://splash247.com/contaminated-bunker-epidemic-spreads-far-and-wide/

The Standard Club is reporting that the global plague of contaminated bunkers has now hit more than 150 vessels with one grounding so far a direct result of dirty fuel onboard.

The issue has spread far and wide – from Houston to Singapore – and has proved very tricky to detect until it is too late.

According to the P&I Club, the main contaminants are phenol and styrene which cannot be identified from standard tests on the bunker sample under ISO 8217, with samples being confirmed as ‘in specification’ despite phenols and styrene contaminants being present. Multidimensional Gas Chromatography – Mass Spectrometry (GCMS) testing is required to identify and quantify these types of contaminants, but has to be requested as an additional set of tests. These tests – currently in high demand – cost more than $1,000 per sample.

The nature of these particular contaminants leads to very sticky, waxy like deposits which have actually resulted in main and auxiliary engines’ fuel pumps seizing, in addition to blocked heaters, purifiers, filters and excessive sludge build up.