A Master's Guideto Using Fuel Oil On board ships

7/29/2019 A Master's Guideto Using Fuel Oil On board ships

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USING FUEL OIL

ONBOARD SHIPS

A MASTERS GUIDE TO:


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The Standard P&l Club

The Standard P&I Clubs loss prevention programme ocuseson best practice to avert those claims that are avoidableand that oten result rom crew error or equipment ailure.In its continuing commitment to saety at sea and theprevention o accidents, casualties and pollution, the clubissues a variety o publications on saety-related subjects,o which this is one.

For more inormation about these publications, pleasecontact the Standard Club or visit www.standard-club.com

ABS

From its oundation in 1862, promoting maritime saetyhas been the core commitment o ABS.

ABS is a provider o marine and oshore classiication services.

The responsibility o the classiication society is to veriythat marine vessels and oshore structures comply withRules that the society has established or design,construction and periodic survey.

Thanks to Mr I. Koumbarelis and Mr K. Kotsos o AmericanBureau o Shipping (ABS) or inormation provided withinthis document.

Kittiwake

Established in 1993, Kittiwake Developments has growninto a global provider o monitoring and testing technologysolutions with oices in the UK, Germany, USA, and Asia.Kittiwake are experts in machinery condition monitoring,uel and lube oil analysis and marine water testing.

FTS/Hotrans

FTS/Hotrans started their activities in 1987. The activitiestake place in the so called ARA-area (Amsterdam-Rotterdam-

Antwerp). FTS/Hotrans oices are located in Rotterdamand Antwerp.

All activities are perormed with double hull vessels, a totalo 23 tank barges in 2009. Obtaining a double hull leet wasan important objective set a decade ago. The largest tankbarge o FTS Hotrans had a capacity o 6.745 MT, and the

smallest tank barge had a capacity o 900 MT. All tank bargesoperate and/or working with the latest techniques romindustry. During 2008 this will grow to 100% in conormancewith the ormulated objective a couple o years ago. In 2007the biggest vessel o FTS/Hotrans had a capacity o6.745 ton.

Service Terminal Rotterdam

Service Terminal Rotterdam started her operations inOctober 2003. Two main activities orm the core o STRsoperations. The irst activity is servicing ship-to-shiptransshipments, lay-by and the supply o Nitrogen to lay-byand ship-to-ship vessels which commenced since the starto the company.

The second STR activity is storage o heavy uel in onshoretanks, this activity started mid-2005.

February 2012

AuthorMark C. FordSenior SurveyorCharles Taylor & Co LimitedStandard House1213 Essex Street

London WC2R 3AAUKTel: +44 20 3320 2316Email: [email protected]: www.standard-club.com

The authors acknowledge technical contributions romcolleagues and associates.

The authors express their particular thanks to:I. Koumbarelis

ABS Europe Piraeus Engineering Department

K. KotsosABS Europe Piraeus Engineering Department

Matthias WinklerKittiwake

Ed VersluisFTS Hotrans


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01A MASTERS GUIDE TO: USING FUEL OIL ONBOARD SHIPSSTANDARD CLUB

contents

01 Introduction 03

02 Fuel oil and insurance claims 04What is uel oil? 04

03 Bunkering 08Responsibility 09Bunker plan 10Communication 10Pollution prevention measures 11Tank capacities 14Bunker checklists 16Bunker system set-up 17

Continuous checks 18Fuel delivery dubious practices 18Flowmeter readings 18Completion 22Sampling and analysis 23Onboard testing 26Fuel quality 27Bunker system maintenance 35

04 Documentation 36Charterparty clauses 36Bunker Supply Contracts 38Bunkering instructions 38

Oil Record Book 38Bunker receipts 40Letters o protest 40Fuel oil analysis reports 41

05 Storage 42Heating 42Bunker capacity 43Settling tanks 43Saety 43Service tanks 44Guidance in preparation or uel changeover 45Fuel changeover procedure basic guidelines 46

Sludge and uel oil leakage tanks 48

06 Processing 51Fuel transer 51Settling tanks to service tanks 51Centriugal separation (puriiers) 51Filtration 54Viscosity control 55

07 Machinery using uel oil 56Main engines and boilers 56Leakage protection 60Fireighting 60

PAGE


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02 STANDARD CLUB A MASTERS GUIDE TO: USING FUEL OIL ONBOARD SHIPS

contents

08 Additional precautions 61Cleanliness 61Management o change 61Familiarisation 61Bunker uel tagging 62

09 Regulations and standards 63MARPOL 63The current and uture regulations or MARPOL Annex VI 64

10 Glossary 68

Poster and checklist


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The purpose o this guide is to provide masters, ships ocers and shore

superintendents with a basic knowledge o the use o, and precautions tobe taken when using uel oils onboard ship.

The misuse o uel oil can lead to major claims and jeopardise the saety othe ship.

They say that oil and water do not mix; today the master has to be very muchaware o what is happening in the engine room.

Fuel oil has been used onboard ship since the 1870s when the SS Constantinerst sailed the Caspian Sea using oil in her boilers to generate steam or themain propulsion system.

Now, most merchant tonnage primarily burns uel oil to produce power orpropulsion purposes, electrical power generation, in boilers or all o these.

Shipowners are aced with signicant uel cost fuctuations and changingemissions regulations, both o which determine the way uel systems anddiesel engines onboard are operated. This can cause various engine uelsystem operational problems, such as purier or lter clogging, uel pumpscoring or ailure, severe cylinder liner wear, uel injector seizure, exhaustvalve seat corrosion or blow-past and turbocharger turbine wheel ouling.This is just a shortlist o potential problems.

We shall be mainly looking at the use o residual uel oil (Heavy Fuel Oil/Intermediate Fuel Oil (commonly reerred to as HFO/IFO) which usuallyhas a viscosity o around 380cst/180cst respectively.) The use o HFO/IFOonboard ship can be very problematic. We will be paying particular attentionto bunkering, storage, processing, machinery using HFO and the currentand uture regulations regarding uel onboard ship. However, the majority opractices ollowed or HFO in this guide also relate to the distillate uel marinediesel oil/gas oil (commonly reerred to as MDO/MGO) used on ships.

We aim to raise awareness o the problems encountered with the storage,handling and processing o HFO onboard ship that can, i not approached ina sae and procient manner, result in catastrophic loss o lie, loss o the shipor a major pollution incident. We shall show that the good management andunderstanding o HFO will present less risk o a heavy uel oil problem arisingand result in a saer, cleaner and a more reliable ship.

Author: Editor:Mark C. Ford Chie Engineer Capt. Chris SpencerSenior Surveyor, Standard Club Director Loss Prevention, Standard Club

IntRoDUctIon

01


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Fuel oil causes, or contributes, to many serious insurance claims. Examples:

Damaged cylinder linersAter taking on bunkers in a European port, a ships nine main engine cylinder linerssuered excessive wear rates as a result o high catalytic ines. Cylinder liners were replaced.The claim was $420,000.

Main engine problems Allegation o o-spec bunkers supplied at sea by charterers.Claim or engine damage stemming rom alleged o-spec bunkers. The ship was dry-dockedand the damaged engine parts were removed and replaced. Sample tests at the timeindicated the bunkers were within speciication but that they did contain additional chemicalsapparently not normally ound. The claim is in the order o $1.8m to date or engine damage.

Claims resulting rom poor uel oil or rom poorly puriied uel oil usually appear under hull

and machinery cover including damage to the main engine, or example. This, however, mayalso result in a P&I claim, relating to grounding, collision, pollution and or wreck removal.

Pollution $60,000 inePollution occurred because a valve was let open in the ships bunker line, so that the bunkerswere delivered directly overboard rather than into the tanks. The chie engineer was in chargeo the bunker operations and signed the bunker checklist. It is understood that he was inthe engine room and the wiper was on deck monitoring the maniold. The pumping rate wasagreed at 150m3 per hour. A number o checklists have to be signed by both the bunkerbarge and the receiver as laid out in the International Saety Guide or Oil Tankers andTerminals (ISGOTT) including the checking o valve positions, tightness o lange connections,condition o hoses etc. It is the responsibility o each ship to check its own equipment andthe bunker operator can only be responsible or his ship and his hose to the ships maniold;

they should also check the maniold connection on the receiving ship beore beginningpumping. The claim or pollution clean-up costs was in excess o $1m and a ine o some$60,000 was imposed.

What is uel oil?Fuel oil is a material that produces heat while being consumed by burning.

Fossil uels, also called mineral uels, are combustible materials that are organic, having beenderived rom the decomposition o creatures and plants millions o years ago.

Fossil uels include oil, coal, lignite, natural gas and peat. Artiicial uels, such as gasolineand kerosene, are made rom ossil uels.

Fossil uels can take a number o orms: these include crude oil which is a liquid, natural gas(methane) and coal which is a solid.

For this Masters Guide we are ocusing on oil.

FUeL oIL AnD InsURAnce cLAIMs

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Crude oilCrude oil is ound deep underground and is removed by drilling a well. Approximately hal othe worlds accessible crude oil is ound in the Middle East. Beore crude oil can be usedeectively it has to be reined. This process will produce a number o distillates includingpetroleum, gas oil, kerosene, lubricating oils, heavy uel oils and tar.

On average, crude oils consist o the ollowing elements or compounds:

Carbon 84%

Hydrogen 14%

Sulphur 1 to 3% (hydrogen sulphide, sulphides, disulphides, elemental sulphurs)

Nitrogen less than 1%

Oxygen less than 1%

Metals less than 1% (nickel, iron, vanadium, copper, arsenic)

Salts less than 1% (sodium chloride, magnesium chloride, calcium chloride)

Heavy uel Oil (HFO) and Intermediate Fuel Oil (IFO)Heavy uel oils are blended products based on the residues rom reinery distillation andcracking processes. Dierent hydrocarbon structures chain lengths have progressivelyhigher boiling points, so they can all be separated by distillation. This is what happens inan oil reinery in the initial part o the process, crude oil is heated and the dierent chainsare separated out by their diering vaporisation temperatures. Each chain length has adierent property that makes it useul in its own way.

The oldest and most common way to separate crude oil into the various components (calledractions), is to use the dierences in boiling temperature. This process is called ractionaldistillation. Crude oil is heated, vaporised and then the vapour is condensed. (See igure onpage 6 or a simpliied overview o this reining process).

Newer techniques use chemical processing on some o the ractions to make others, in aprocess called conversion. Chemical processing, or example, can break the longer chemicalchains into shorter ones. This allows a reinery to turn diesel uel into petroleum, dependingon the demand or petroleum.

Reineries treat the ractions to remove impurities.

Reineries combine the various ractions (processed and unprocessed) into mixtures tomake desired products. For example, dierent mixtures o chemical chains can createpetroleum with dierent octane ratings.


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FUeL oIL AnD InsURAnce cLAIMs

Fractioning column

Kerosene(parafn oil)

Petrol(gasoline)

Diesel oils

Naptha

GasesLiquefedpetroleumgas

Chemicals

Petrol orvehicles

Lubricatingoil

Fuel oil

Residue

120C

270C

70C

20C

400C

600C

170C

Ships

Oils

Ships

Bitumen orroads

Fractions decreasing indensity and boiling point

Crude Oil

Fractionsincreasing indensity andboiling point

Aviation uel

^ Typical refining process


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Secondary reining techniques, such as thermal cracking and catalytic cracking arecommonly used to extract higher value products rom crude oil. Thermal cracking uses atechnique known as visbreaking1 to reduce the viscosity o the inal residue. The result isthat less cutter stock2 is required to reduce the residue to its desired viscosity3. Visbreakingproduces a lower quality residue, with a higher density, higher carbon content and poorignition quality.

Catalytic cracking is perhaps the most important secondary reining process. Aluminiumsilicates are used as the catalysts to urther remove high value components, particularlygasoline. Heavy gas oils, or cycle oils, are also produced. These are oten used as cutterstocks with visbreaking residues to produce residual uel oils. The residue rom the crackingprocess is termed slurry oil. This slurry tends to be highly aromatic and o poor ignitionquality but can be blended with the inal residual uel oil. The catalyst components areexpensive, and are thereore recovered. Some, however, can ind their way into the inished

product (catalytic ines). As the name implies, residual uel oil is produced rom the residueo the reining process.

Catalytic ines remaining in bunkers are a major cause o damage to diesel engines. As willbe explained later, this is one reason why uel oil analysis is so important.

Heavy uel oil is a general term, and other names commonly used to describe this range oproducts include: residual uel oil, bunker uel, bunker C, uel oil No. 6, industrial uel oil,marine uel oil and black oil. In addition, terms such as heavy uel oil, intermediate uel oiland light uel oil are used to describe products or industrial applications, to give a generalindication o the viscosity and density o the product. Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) is so namedbecause o its high viscosity; it almost resembles tar when cold. They require heating orstorage and combustion. Heavy uel oils are used widely in marine applications in

combustion equipment such as main engines, auxiliary engines and boilers. Due to thereining process becoming more sophisticated to extract more higher value uels. The heavyuel oils contain less higher quality ractions and are moving slowly towards the bottom endo the scale approaching bitumens.

As a residual product, HFO is a relatively inexpensive uel typically its costs around 30%less than distillate uels. It has become the standard uel or large, slow speed marine dieselengines, this being especially so during the oil crises o the 1970s and 1980s. Its userequired extensive research and development o the uel injection system and othercomponents o low and medium speed engines.

1 Visbreaking is a non-catalytic thermal process that converts atmospheric or vacuum residues via thermalcracking to gas, naphtha, distillates, and visbroken residue. Atmospheric and vacuum residues are typically

charged to a visbreaker to reduce uel oil viscosity and increase distillate yield in the reinery.2 A reinery stream used to thin a uel oil or gasoil. Viscosity reduction and sulphur level adjustment provide

most o the requirement or the cutter stock.3 Viscosity is the resistance o a liquid to shear orces (and hence to low).


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BUnKeRInG

Bunkering may take place oshore, at anchor or alongside. It may be pumped rom road

tanker, bunker barge or another tanker or ship. Whatever the provider, the proceduresollowed are similar. Bunkering should be considered a high risk operation, where mistakescan result in pollution, high inancial penalties or even imprisonment.

03

^ Bunkering operations


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Ships burning HFO in combustion equipment will, at some time in the voyage cycle, have tobunker uel to replenish what has been consumed.

One o the most important procedures o a bunkering operation is attention to thechecklists. The procedures and lists orm part o a companys saety management system(SMS) which ollow the International Saety Management (ISM) Code.

As stated in the ISM Code in section 1.2.1:

The objectives of the Code are to ensure safety at sea, prevention of human injury or lossof life, and avoidance of damage to the environment, in particular to the marine environmentand to property.

Bunkering checklists should be implemented to reduce the risk o negligence and other

operational errors. They must be ollowed in consultation with the chie engineer, as he isnormally the designated oicer-in-charge o the bunkering operation. Beore bunkering,usually a junior engineering oicer takes soundings o bunker tanks and calculates thevolume o uel oil available in every uel oil tank on the ship. Then a bunker plan is preparedor the distribution o the uel oil to be received.

ResponsibilityThe Master is responsible or all that happens on a ship. The Chie Engineer should beresponsible or matters that concern the engine room including uel oil systems and bunkering.Taking uel oil (bunkering) is a potentially high risk operation and thereore it should alwaysbe the Chie Engineers responsibility. This should be clearly stated in the company saetymanagement system. I certain tasks are delegated they should be monitored and checkedby the Chie Engineer. The Master should always be aware o these responsibilities.

Case studyA ship was bunkering in a major Asian port. The bunkering operation was nearing completionand had stopped to calculate quantities that remained to be bunkered in the one tank beingtopped up.

The Chie Engineer was in his cabin and had delegated the task o bunkering to the juniorengineer. The junior engineer had not been on the ship very long. The junior engineer madea mistake in calculating the remaining available space in the tank and asked or a urtheradditional amount o bunkers to be stemmed.

Due to the act that the bunker tank was nearly ull, heavy uel oil bunkers spilled out romthe air vent pipes and into the water.

The authorities subsequently ined the ship and master and imprisoned the Master, chieengineer and junior engineer.

ConclusionCompanies should ensure that proper bunker procedures are maintained.

Masters should always ensure they are satisied that bunkering operations are alwayscarried out in a correct manner.


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BUnKeRInG

The ollowing is a list o the essentials to be carried out beore, during andater bunkering.

Bunker planThe bunker plan is a piping (schematic) diagram that is accurate and representative o thebunkering system onboard. The plan should show the distribution o the bunkers and beposted by the bunkering station during bunkering, and must be ully understood and signedby the oicers involved in the operation. Ideally it should show the amount o uel onboardthe ship beore commencing bunkers, the amount o uel to be bunkered and the plan odistribution o bunkers with tank soundings expected upon completion. A copy o the bunkertank sounding tables should be available to all personnel and orm part o the bunker plan.

CommunicationBeore commencing bunkers, an eective and reliable means o communication is to be

established and agreed between both parties. The ship is to ensure that an agreed stopcommand and slow down command has been established with the bunker provider.The most common means o communication during bunker operations is by VHF radio.

^ VHF radios

Communication between the bunker station and the engine room is to be tested to ensurethat noise rom the machinery space does not interere or block the communication romthe deck and lead to misunderstanding. There are headsets available on the market thathave noise cancellation technology and are ideal or engine room to deck communication.

There should be an agreed emergency stop signal available should the main communicationail with either party. I the emergency stop signal is initiated then the bunkering operationshould be halted immediately.

Some bunkering companies will place an emergency stop button linked to the barges transerpump, by the ships bunkering station. This can be used by the ships oicer in charge obunkering should the need arise to stop the bunker barge pumping the uel. Ensure that thisis tested.

During the bunkering operation, the primary means o communication is to be regularly tested.


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The illustration below is a typical emergency communication guide or use when bunkering.It is good practice or the ship to issue the bunker supplier with this beore commencingbunkers. Consideration must be given to language diiculties between the ship and thebunker barge. Mutually agreed signals and commands must be tested priorto commencing pumping.

SLOW

HOLD

FINISH

FAST

STOP

WAIT

^ Bunkering communication guide (See attached poster)

Pollution prevention measures during the bunkering operation, there is always a risk o a spill

this could be caused by a ailure in the bunker lexible pipeline, the blow-out o adamaged gasket, the opening or closing o a wrong valve or the accidental overlowo a bunker tank

whatever the reason, there must be procedures in place to prevent pollution othe environment


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BUnKeRInG

The photograph below is o an incident caused by the closing o a shipboard valve and theresulting overpressure splitting the bunkering line on the bunker barge deck. Fortunately inthis case, the bunker barge was ollowing the correct spill precautions and the spill waseectively contained on the barge deck without pollution.

^ A bunker spill can happen if the operation is not closely monitored

MooringsThe bunker hose shown opposite wasdisrupted as a result o a mooring ailurebetween the bunker barge and the ship.The moorings were not being eectivelytended and the ship moved away rom thebarge and caused undue stress on thebunker line. Failure occurred on the bunkerbarge deck, and the oil was contained.

The ship should always ensure that themoorings rom the bunker barge areproperly secured, are suicient in numberto prevent the barge rom moving, and arein good condition. They should becontinually checked.

^ Failed bunker hose


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Particular attention should be given to the moorings in rivers and channels where passingtraic can orce the moorings to surge and possibly break the uel hose or hose connections.

Beore bunkering commences it is highly recommended to inspect the bunker hose or anysigns o damage. Shown below is a section o bunker hose that was ound to be damagedbeore bunkering commenced. The damaged section was cut out and the hose wassatisactorily pressure tested. This caused a delay in the bunkering time, but things couldhave been much worse had the split not been identiied.

Hoses rom reputable suppliers will be certiied. I in doubt ask to see the last hosetest certiicate.

^ Cropped section of damaged bunker hose

Ship to ship bunkeringOccasionally ships trading to certain areas are asked to bunker oshore. This is usuallybecause the bunkers are not available in local ports or are o dubious quality, or becausea jurisdiction imposes draconian Customs dues.

When asked to carry out ship to ship (STS) bunker operations some urther basic rulesshould apply and checks should include:

risk assessment

compliance with Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF) (STS) guidelines

the master being ully inormed as to the operation including location, weather, swell

endering adequate

bunkering ship particulars

conirmation that the bunker hose is in a good condition and certiied

bunker quality assessment

quantity assessment

Shipboard Oil Pollution Emergency Plan (SOPEP) equipmentAt the bunker maniold and wherever necessary, as per the ships SOPEP plan, the SOPEPequipment should be kept in a state o immediate readiness, to avoid the risk o an oil spilland pollution during the bunkering operation.


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BUnKeRInG

The SOPEP locker should have aminimum o these items:

1. absorbent rolls2. absorbent pads

3. absorbent granules

4. absorbent materials

5. brooms

6. shovels

7. mops

8. scoops

9. empty receptacles (200 litres capacity)

10. portable air driven pumps

11. oil boom or small spill containment

12. oil spill dispersants

These items must be stowed in an easily accessible locker, clearly marked, and must bebrought on deck ready or immediate use, prior to all bunkering operations.

As previously mentioned, emergency stop procedures must be in place and all scupperplugs and save-all plugs itted to minimise oil pollution should a spill occur.

Tank capacitiesTank capacities should be monitored during bunkering by the use o soundings and/orullages. Sometimes it is easier to use ullages i the bunker tank is large, as this saves timeby not having to clean a large section o the sounding tape ater each dip. Ullages should

always be taken using the ullage pipe and reerence to the ullage tables or tank contentsused. Never use sounding pipes or ullages unless they have been speciically designed orthis and the relevant ullage tables are used. Failure to use the correct tables or thesounding or ullage may result in a quantity miscalculation, and consequently an oil overlow.

Many ships have remote measuring systems that are sae, accurate and are class approved.The use o these remote systems, however, should not be taken or granted as withoutregular maintenance and testing these pieces o equipment may give alse readingsbecause o line blockages, air pressure ailure or transmitter/electrical problems. Thereorebeore bunkering the remote readings should be cross-checked with manual soundings.This cross-check may be included in the ships planned maintenance routines.

Smaller ships may have tank gauges itted directly on the bunker tank. These gauges

should be checked and calibrated every docking cycle to ensure that they are ullyoperational and accurate. They may be in the orm o a pressure gauge read-out, or astainless steel tube containing the bunker luid with an external sight glass using magneticindicators as shown in the photographs opposite.

The ship should have certain knowledge as to how ull the tanks can be illed saely. It isoten normal to ill bunker tanks to 90% capacity. Some tanks may require less due tounusual shape and internal coniguration which can cause air locks and pockets.


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^ Bunker tank level indication


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BUnKeRInG

Bunker checklists

Bunkering is a high risk operation where mistakes can have signiicant consequences,including ines and imprisonment. Oten there is considerable commercial pressure on theship and ships sta. DO NOT commence bunkering until everything is properly prepared,checked and in place.

The bunker checklist is a very important document and is an integral part o the bunkeringprocess. It is created as part o the ISM system and is ship speciic. It should be drawn upand approved by the chie engineer. The checklist must be strictly ollowed and not justcompleted automatically. On many occasions, items on a bunker checklist have beenchecked o without veriying whether the requirements have been completed. This maywell lead to a serious bunkering incident.

Bunkering is oten carried out when the engineering sta are under pressure in respect o

both time and manpower. Key checks are oten missed and omissions only come to lightwhen it is too late.

The checklist should at the very least include the items below.

Pre-bunkering checklist:

1. state o adjacent waters reviewed and deemed acceptable

2. ship properly secured (unless STS)

3. check suppliers speciication or the product corresponds to what was ordered

4. agree quantity to be supplied and in what units (m, tonnes, barrels etc)

5. agree maximum pumping rate and line pressure at start, at maximum low and atthe end

6. ensure that the bunker barge checklist is understood and completed7. ensure that the bunker plan is understood and posted at the bunker station

8. emergency stop or bunker barge transer pump at the ships bunker station has beentested i supplied

9. ensure the MARPOL drip sampler is clean and itted

10. check correct bunker valves are open

11. cross-check correct bunker valve set-up

12. uel oil daily service tanks at maximum sae working level, and illing valves closed

13. warning signs in position, or instance No Smoking

14. material saety data sheet or HFO is available

15. SOPEP plan is available16. spill clean-up material readily available

17. ensure all save-all and drip tray plugs are screwed in position

18. provisions made to drain o any accumulations o sea or rain water on deckduring bunkering

19. plug all deck scuppers and ensure they are oil and watertight

20. oam ire extinguisher placed at bunker station

21. puriiers and transer pumps o

22. check that the sounding and ullage pipe caps are screwed down, unless dipping a tank


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23. check that the air vents and lame arrestors or the bunker tanks are intact and ree romblockages

24. re-conirm remaining space in bunker tanks to be illed

25. check bunker tank high level alarms i itted

26. ensure that the designated overlow tank and overlow sight glasses/alarms areprepared and monitored

27. agree stop and start signals between ship and barge or road tanker

28. bravo lag lying and red light showing at night

29. agree emergency shutdown procedure

30. ensure all ire precautions are observed

31. all hot work permits should have been suspended or the duration o bunkering

32. check hose and couplings are secure and in good order

33. uel connection and hose secured to vessel34. check barge or road tanker lowmeter tamper seal and check soundings on barge

or road tanker

35. carry out a spot analysis or compatibility test i ship has the test kit

36. check on shipboard lowmeter

37. ensure ship and barge moorings will be tended during bunkering

38. bunker maniold valve open

39. unused maniold connections isolated and blanked o

40. all ship communications conirmed as operational

41. all ship to shore or barge communications agreed and operational

42. oicer on watch/master inormed

43. signal pumping to commence

Bunker system set-upIt is imperative that all engineering oicers are ully aware o the uel oil bunkering system.The chie engineer should allow only engineers who are amiliar with the system to be activelyinvolved in bunkering operations. The master should be ully aware during bunker operationso the quantities to be received, bunker distribution, start time, oicers-in-charge, expectedtime o completion, and be in communication with all involved.

Beore pumping starts, the tank receiving the uel should be identiied by the oicer-in-chargeand the correct system valves opened and tagged with easily identiiable valve positions.All other system valves should be checked and tagged as being closed. The system may

then be cross-checked by another competent oicer to ensure it is in a state o readinessto accept uel delivery. It is recommended that this cross-check o the system set-up ispart o the bunker checklist.

When commencing the bunkers, ensure that the pumping rate is very slow to enable thesystem to be checked or leaks and that the uel is being received in the desired location.Once this has been veriied, the pumping rate can be increased to the saest maximum rate,ensuring that the bunker line maximum pressure is monitored and not exceeded.


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Continuous checks

The chie engineer should always be in overall charge o the bunkering operation.

During bunkering procedures:

1. witness taking and sealing o a minimum o three representative product samples

2. check the bunker line pressure regularly to ensure it is not too high

3. check and record the temperature o the uel as it is pumped on board

4. monitor uel connections or leaks and uel low

5. monitor the sight glass in the engine room to ensure no overlow is taking place

6. changeover tanks whenever necessary. (Always open the other tank beore isolatingthe ull one)

7. check the rate at which bunkers are received

8. check the tightness and slackness o mooring ropes9. check trim and list o the bunker barge and the ship

10. continuous monitoring and look-outs or the ships position and mooring arrangementswhen at anchor

Fuel delivery dubious practicesThe vast majority o companies involved in the uel oil supply and bunkering industry carryout their business in an honest and proessional manner. The behaviour o a ew individualscan cast a shadow over the whole industry, but genuine mistakes can be made. It is importantto be aware o the type o malpractice which has occurred and may be used again.

Such malpractice can result in bunker claims.

Fuel oil delivery: quantityOne method o adjusting the delivered quantity o uel oil is by measuring twice. This is doneby transerring the uel rom one tank to another by gravity during taking o the openingreadings. One o the irst tank quantities measured is then dropped under gravity to aconvenient slack tank which will be measured last. Usually this is achieved by transerringrom a uel tank at to a slack tank orward, the gauging having been started in the at tanks.

Counter measure re-check the irst tanks measured beore delivery begins.

Ullage and soundingsThe delivery barge contends that seals on sounding and ullage pipes cannot be broken.The deceit is usually backed by pretexts such as Customs seals or a seized sounding cock.

Usually the only alternative to gauging the tanks is by measurement through a lowmeter.Be wary o air being introduced through the meter to increase the measured deliverydisplayed. This is commonly called the cappuccino eect (see below).

Counter measures do not agree to meter only uel oil deliveries. I Customs sealsare cited, issue a letter o protest, or comment on the bunker delivery receipt withcounter-signature rom barge master.

Flowmeter readingsFlowmeter re-circulation linesSometimes bunker barge lowmeters are itted with a small bleed-o line ater the lowmeterthat returns the uel being bunkered to the suction side o the barge bunker supply pump.

This eectively means that the uel is being passed through the lowmeter twice. The by-passrecirculation line may be only small in diameter but over the bunkering period it can have abig impact on the quantity o uel bunkered.

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Counter measures check or any suspicious lines ater the barges lowmeter. Use theships lowmeter (i itted) as a cross check and question any major dierences. Ask to seethe bunker barges lowmeter calibration certiicate and check that the lowmeter seal isintact. Reer to the bunker barge cargo piping diagram to assist with the checking o anysuspicious lines.

The cappuccino eectAir is sometimes intentionally introduced by the supplier during the pumping o bunkers tothe ship which aerates the uel being delivered. The common standard type lowmeter willnot measure the quantity o uel being delivered but the volume o throughput. I the uel hasbeen aerated, this volume is made up o uel and small air bubbles. Thus the quantity o uelbeing delivered is on some occasions considerably less than stated, because the lowmeter,which measures the volume going through it, reacts to both the bunker uel and thelow-density entrapped air and registers this as a large volume o oil. The mass o the

entrapped air, however, is so small that it does not contribute signiicantly to the total masso the mixture. When the bunker tanks are sounded, the soundings also appears correct asthe entrapped air is still in suspension in the uel. When the air eventually settles out o theuel oil the level o the bunker tank drops. This indicates an apparent onboard uel loss atthe next sounding. Depending on the amount o bunkers requested, the uel shortage canbe considerable and amount to a heavy inancial loss, or result in a bunker claim.

This practice is commonly reerred to as the cappuccino eect.

Counter-measures use a density meter to check the density. There are meters availablethat can measure the true quantity o the uel being delivered. Coriolis meters providecontinuous, on-line measurement o mass low rate, volume low rate, density, temperature,and batch totals all rom a single device. Coriolis meters have no moving parts or

obstructions in contact with the luid being measured and require little maintenance, lowconditioning or straight pipe runs. Unlike volume measurement, mass measurement isindependent o operating pressure and temperature, which obviates the need or error-pronedensity conversions. For highly viscous luids where entrained gas and air is unable toescape, direct mass low measurement can perorm better than volumetric meters and tankgauges. The Coriolis meter will give a more accurate measurement o the quantity o uel oildelivered. These meters can be expensive and may require system piping modiications.

Combating the cappuccino eect or bunkersBeore loading bunkers rom a barge, the ollowing checks should be carried out in additionto the ships bunkering procedure:

board the bunker barge and veriy, by sounding the barges uel oil cargo tanks and usingcorresponding sounding tables, the quantity o uel onboard the barge beore bunkering

commences i possible, obtain drat readings o the bunker barge beore pumping begins

check the sounding tape when sounding the uel tanks both on the barge and duringbunkering or any evidence o air bubbles in the uel

ask to see the barges cargo pump that will be used or uel delivery and check or anysuspect air connections. These may be quite small

ask the crew how they intend to blow the lines ater completion o bunkering and ask toinspect this arrangement beore starting uel transer, to limit the opportunity to introduceair with the oil lowing

check the barges lowmeter reading and conirm that the calibration certiicate is or themeter in question and is valid. Conirm that the meters calibration seal is intact

check or suspicious lowmeter recirculation lines. These may be small but can have a bigimpact on the quantity received onboard


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during bunkering, monitor every 30 minutes the quality o the uel coming onboard byusing the bunker sampling point. Check the uel or any rothing (see picture below) whichis indicative o air entrapment

i rothing is suspected, board the barge and ask to see the line-blowing arrangement.I this has been used it may still be connected, and the compressed air piping ater the airisolation valve may be cold. This may be an indication that it has been recently opened

ater completion, board the bunker barge and veriy, by sounding the barges uel oilcargo tanks and checking the corresponding sounding tables, and calculate the quantityo uel remaining on the barge. Dierence rom initial soundings to inal soundings shouldgive a good indication o the quantity o uel o-loaded rom the barge

i possible, obtain a reading o the drat o the bunker barge ater pumping is complete

ask to see the barges drat tables and roughly calculate the dierence in drats rombunker start to bunker completion, and use the table to convert to tonnage. This will give

a rough measure o the quantity o uel discharged

^ Check bunkers for signs of frothing

List and trimSometimes the barge may have a list or trim and no correction tables are available. It ispossible that in these circumstances the trim or list is to the advantage o the supplier andthe purported amount o uel on board is more than that which exists. The dierencebetween the apparent and actual uel oil on board can be considerable, especially i thetanks have a large ree surace area.

Counter measures I no trim correction tables are available or inspection beore takinguel oil delivery or gauging tanks, it may be prudent to make a written comment stating thatno trim correction tables were sighted. This can be countersigned by the bunker barge master.

Temperature

The temperature o the uel oil is important as it aects the volume delivered. I the declaredtemperature is lower than the actual temperature this means that less uel oil is actuallydelivered. For the supplier, gaining a ew degrees Centigrade means gaining a ew tonnes.


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Counter measures check and record the temperature during the initial gauging andperiodically until completion.

Calibration tablesIt is not unknown or duplicate barge tables to be used. At irst sight these appear to bein order but have, in act, been modiied to the advantage o the supplier. Inserted pages,photocopies, corrections, dierent print and paper types are all indications o tampering.

Counter measures check i the tables are original or a copy issue a letter o protesti unsure.

WaterI 1,000 tonnes o uel is bunkered and it contains 1% water, it is eectively just 990 tonneso uel. A loss o 10 tonnes o uel resulting rom water content is a loss o approximately

$7,000

4

.

Water may be mixed with the uel oil just beore the bunkering takes place. Sealedsamples are taken rom the barge beore the water is introduced and used as oicialsupplier samples. Another trick is not using water-detecting paste on the sounding tape.Water-detecting paste can be used or distillate uel deliveries but does not work with blackresidual uels as you cannot see the colour change. Sometimes an incorrect alternativepaste is used, like chrome cleaner, which looks and smells the same, but does not changecolour on contact with water.

It is also possible that the supplier o uel oil to the bunker barge has given the barge excesswater. This can then be passed on to the customer who will be unaware o water beingpresent. Bunker barges normally bunker uel rom the port oil terminals. The detection o

excess water depends on the eectiveness o their procedures and checklists.

Salt water is sometimes delivered with uels as a result o contamination by the bunkerbarge. There are many potential causes o this including ballast water contamination,structural deects and incorrect valve operation. A common source o sea water ingress isballast water entering the ships bunker tank via a corroded sounding pipe. One o the mainconcerns over sea water contamination o uel is that a chemical reaction between thesodium (salt) compounds in the water and the vanadium compounds in the uel duringcombustion may cause high temperature corrosion (hot end corrosion). The vanadium andsodium oxidise during combustion, which causes sticky, low-melting point salts whichadhere to exhaust valves, valve seats and turbocharger turbine blades which in turn attractother combustion deposits leading to mechanical damage.

It should be noted that the ISO 8217:2010 standards state that the maximum allowablewater content or all heavy uel oils should be not greater than 0.5%.

Excessive water represents a triple loss. Firstly, there is the loss o speciic energy in the uelwhich will aect the uel consumption. Secondly, there is the cost o disposing o the waterremoved by the treatment system. Such water is unlikely to pass through a 15 PPM oilywater separator, so it has to be retained or disposal later, with a cost to the ship operator.Thirdly, water will damage uel injection equipment, cause corrosion and ailureo exhaust valves and turbochargers.

Counter-measures check using Water in Oil test. Issue a letter o protest i thepercentage o water content is more than stated on the bunker delivery receipt.

4 Fuel price as o February 2012.


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There are other less sophisticated, underhand methods o reducing the real quantity ouel oil delivered. These include unoicial piping between the storage tanks and otherun-nominated tanks, such as coerdams or void spaces.

Counter-measures undamentally, the care, diligence and training o the sta responsibleor uel oil deliveries. The purchaser should obtain speciication acceptance by the uel supplier.

Summary

uel oil purchasers need to advise the ships sta which grade o uel they will receive andhow it will be transerred

uels rom dierent deliveries should be segregated as ar as practicable

all receiving uel oil tanks need to be gauged and the results recorded prior to takingdelivery o uel

do not sign any documentation until you have witnessed the event reerred to in the document i the origin and method by which the suppliers sample was obtained is unknown then

when signing or it, add the words or receipt only source unknown

uel oil samples should be taken by continuous-drip method throughout the bunkering

i the uel oil delivered is supplied by more than one barge, a sample should be taken oeach uel oil rom the supplying barges

sign the bunker delivery receipt only or volume delivered. I the supplier insists on asignature or weight add or volume only weight to be determined ater density testingo representative sample

CompletionPost-bunkering procedures

Ater pumping is completed, the bunker supplier may want to blow the line through withcompressed air to ensure that all the uel is out o the line beore disconnection at thebunker maniold. It is critical to be aware o the saety implications o this line-blowing,and thereore:

ensure that pipe disconnection has not commenced beore line-blowing

ensure that no system valves have been closed beore line-blowing

take care in the vicinity o the bunker pipe as it may move violently during line-blowing

be aware that during disconnection a highly lammable oil mist may be present in thebunker line caused by the blowing-though action. All saety precautions are to beollowed closely

Ater pumping and line-blowing, the uel quantity received must be checked and veriied by

using the ships normal methods, such as gauges, soundings, ullages, and lowmeter.

When the chie engineer is satisied that the quantity received is correct then the bunkerdelivery receipt can be signed either by that oicer or by the master.

The post-bunker checklist is as ollows:

1. bunker valve closed

2. disconnect hose (drain and/or blow through beore disconnecting)

3. check barge or road tanker meter readings

4. check ships meter reading and soundings or quantity veriication

5. sign Bunker Delivery Receipt5 BDR

5 The Bunker Delivery Receipt as speciied in appendix V to MARPOL Annex VI, is to contain at least: name andIMO number o receiving ship, port, date o commencement o delivery, name, address and telephone numbero marine uel oil supplier, product name(s), quantity (metric tons), density at 15 deg. C (kg/m 3), sulphur content(%) and a declaration signed and certiied by the uel oil suppliers representative that the uel oil supplied is inconormity with regulation 14.1 or 14.4 and regulation 18.3 o MARPOL Annex VI.

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6. retain BDR with product sample

7. return SOPEP to bridge8. clean-up equipment stowed back in the correct place

9. bravo lag/red light stowed and switched o

10. remove and pack away warning and saety signs

11. oam ire extinguisher placed back in correct location

12. complete Oil Record Book and conirm bunkering is complete

13. master inormed o completion

Sampling and analysisThere have been many claims involving bunkered uel that ailed to meet the required minimumspeciications and caused engine breakdown and damage.

Remember that 500 tonnes o uel, considered a small delivery, may cost $315,000 and theanalysis ee is normally around $600. Fuel testing should not be seen by the shipowner asan avoidable expense, but a orm o low cost insurance.

One the most important aspects o taking bunkers is uel oil sampling. This covers themethod o taking the sample, the location, and ormal witnessing.

The importance o a suitably drawn and witnessed representative oil sample cannot beover-emphasised. It orms the basis o all discussion, debate or dispute resolution relatingto the bunkering. The most common and most economic means o obtaining arepresentative sample is by using a drip type sampler, as pictured below.

^ Bunker sampling device

Maximum width

of Bunker Sampler

MUST t between the ange

holes and have a diameter

larger than the inner pipe

diameter (B).

BOLT

HOLES

FLANGE

BUNKER SAMPLER

A

B

C

^ Fuel oil sampler and cubitainer photo supplied by KITTIWAKE

Fuel oil sample collectionThe tube within the sampler and sample valve should always be cleaned beore use. Thiscan be achieved by removing the tube, simply lushing it with a clean distillate uel andallowing it to drain thoroughly beore installing. The use o low lashpoint solvents is not

recommended or cleaning the sampler. The tube should always be installed with the holesacing the direction o low. (See picture o uel oil sampler and cubitainer).


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When bunkering starts, place a container under the sampler, open the sampler valve ullyand lush the sampler with uel. It is good practice to check this sample rom uel initiallypumped onboard as it may be high in water content rom the bunker barges tanks.

Ater lushing the sampler, close the valve and attach a suitable clean container to the valve.Adjust the needle valve to give a slow and steady drip. Time the ill rate so that it will provideor suicient estimated sample over the expected delivery period.

^ MARPOL sample point showing cubitainer attached

I the sample container ills during the bunkering period, remove it and place an emptysample container (Cubitainer) on the sampler and continue to draw a sample.

On completion o bunkering, mix together the samples rom both containers to ensure youhave a good, representative sample rom the bunkering operation.

always ensure that the sampler valve is ully open to allow the sampler to drain

always close the sampler valve beore blowing through the uel lines on completiono bunkering

close the sampler valve i pumping stops, to prevent the sample being drawn back,under vacuum, into the uel line

Select three or our clean sample bottles. The exact number depends on the inal destinationo the various samples. To cover all eventualities, it is recommended that our representativesamples are obtained rom the delivery. The distribution o the samples being:

suppliers sample (rom their MARPOL connection)

ships sample or retention on board

onboard analysis sample

sample or independent analysis


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The ull Cubitainer should be placed in the pourer box and thoroughly shaken to ensurethat the contents are well mixed. Attach the pourer spout and gradually transer thecontents into the sample bottles, illing each a little at a time. I more than one Cubitainerwas used during bunkering, then transer a portion into each o the bottles. Completethe document labels and attach one to each sample bottle.

Always have the barge operator to witness the removal and sealing o the sample bottle(s)(shown below). I this request is reused, or i no witness is provided, then note this in thedelivery log.

Bunker collection, sampling and storage guidelines are provided in Annex VI o MARPOL73/78 and have been deined by MEPC 96(47), which states that:

A retained sample of all fuel oils as supplied, is drawn at the ships receiving manifold,

sealed, signed on behalf of the supplier and the Master or ships officer in charge of thebunkering operation. The retained sample is to be kept under the ships control until thesubject fuel has been substantially consumed, but in any case for at least 12 months fromthe date of delivery.

^ Fuel oil sampling bottle photo supplied by KITTIWAKE

It is important to remember that this sample is to be used solely to determine compliancewith Annex VI o MARPOL 73/78 and cannot be used or commercial purposes. However,samples can be drawn at the same time or other purposes.

Summary

a representative sample is undamental or all later testing

a continuous drip manual sampler is the proven method or eective sampling

the sample must be witnessed by all parties: the suppliers representative as well as therecipient/ship

the point or custody transer is usually the ships bunker maniold

careul measurements during delivery will produce savings

samples should be handled and stored careully they may be the only evidence in theevent o a claim

IMO MARPOL Annex VI requires you to store the sample or at least 12 months and theBunker Delivery Receipt or three years.


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Onboard testing

Fuel oil testing by a reputable analysis company is something that is carried out on most shipswhich bunker heavy uel oil. Sometimes, however, a delay in receiving results o the analysis,or misplacing or loss o the samples, has resulted in the use o uel that has caused seriousproblems. This is where basic onboard uel testing can greatly assist is identiying potentialuel problems beore use and long beore the shore analysis results are received.

I, or whatever reason, a company decides that uel analysis is not necessary, a ull andormal risk analysis should be carried out to test that decision. The relatively minor costs oregular uel oil analysis, compared to the price o the uel, ar outweigh the potential damageand costs associated with mechanical ailure caused by poor uel quality.

Conducting representative sampling, laboratory analysis and onboard testing provides aneective tool to identiy poor quality uel and a way o avoiding serious operational problems

and expensive mechanical repairs.

There are numerous uel testing organisations that oer good advice and equipment or ueltesting onboard. Below is an example o three onboard tests that can be carried out on ueloil during or immediately ater bunkering to determine uel density, uel compatibility andwater content.

Fuel densityThe density meter is suitable or diesel andresidual uel oils. It is used to conirm thequantity o uel delivered, veriy that thecorrect grade o uel has been delivered,estimate the combustion perormance

(Calculated Carbon Aromaticity Index CCAI),and correct viscosity in Centipoise (cP) orCentistokes (cst).

The density meter measures density using ahydrometer dropped in warmed oil. Most oilscan be measured at 50C, but or very viscousuel oils the units can be set to warm to70C. There is a calculator eature, whichallows the reading to be adjusted to showdensity at 15C in a vacuum. I the viscosityis known in Centistokes or Centipoise thecalculator will display the CCAI. The density

meter uses hydrometers to measure thedensity o marine uels corrected to kg/m3 at15C. With this inormation and the viscosity othe uel, the density meter can determine:

mass o uel delivered

caloriic value

anticipated combustion perormance (CCAI)

^ Density meter photo supplied by KITTIWAKE


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Compatibility testerThe oil compatibility tester is very useul or

testing uel oils. This equipment is an extremelyhelpul tool or engineers aced with thenecessity to mix or blend residual uel oil.

As a general principle, bunkered uel oilshould not be used or mixed with existinguel oil onboard until the uel oil analysisresults have been received.

The oil compatibility tester will:

conirm that the uel delivery will remainstable in the bunker tanks

identiy possible uel stability problemsbeore mixing uels

help prevent sludge deposits, ailure ouel handling systems and costlycombustion-related engine damage

^ Compatibility tester photo supplied by KITTIWAKE

Water in oil test kitThe digital water in oil test/analysis kit is onemethod used or onboard testing. The kit

provides digital analysis and gives accurateresults or monitoring trends. It can be usedor determining water in all uel oils andlubricating oils, and will:

prevent corrosion, cavitation or ailure oyour machinery by detecting water in oil,beore any damage occurs

minimise instability o additive packagesand damaging microbe growth bymonitoring your oil

ully portable or use onboard ship andeasy to use ^ Water in oil test kit photo supplied by KITTIWAKE

Fuel quality

IncompatibilityWhilst every uel oil is manuactured to be stable, in that it does not have the tendency toproduce asphaltenic sludge, it does not ollow that two stable uels are compatible whenmixed or blended.

To avoid the potential problem o uels being incompatible, the recommended course oaction is that mixing uel oils rom dierent sources should be avoided where practicable.

A uel mix is regarded as being stable only i it is homogeneous immediately aterpreparation, remains so in normal storage and at no time produces or tends to producesludge on a signiicant scale. I behaving in this way, the uels orming the mix can beconsidered compatible.


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Incompatibility is the tendency o a residual uel to produce a deposit on dilution or onmixing with other uel oils. Typical incompatibility problems include sludge ormation, andblockage o bunker and service tanks, pipe runs, ilters and centriugal separator bowls.In extreme circumstances, the only remedy is manual removal o the sludge build-up,which is time-consuming and costly.

With the growing use o low sulphur uels and increased requency o bunkering, testingthe stability o the uel and its compatibility or mixing is becoming increasingly important.

Onboard compatibility testing is extremely simple and can take just 20 minutes. It providesengineers with inormation that can conirm that the uel delivery will remain stable in thebunker tanks, and identiy stability problems beore mixing two uels. Compatibility testingcan prevent sludge deposits, eliminate ailure o uel handling systems and reduce costlycombustion-related engine problems.

O speciicationI uel oil bunkered does not meet a certain quality standard then it is said to be o spec.

The requirements or the quality o marine uel oil are detailed within ISO 8217:2010,4th edition. This document supersedes ISO 8217: 2005, 3rd edition.

ISO 8217 speciies the requirements or petroleum uels or marine diesel engines and boilers,prior to appropriate treatment beore use. It was originally drated in 1982 and came intoorce in 1987.

A uels speciication is generally considered less critical when burning poorer quality uelin ships boilers because o their design, construction and operating method; however at

the beginning o the 21st century motorships accounted or around 98% o the world leet.The ISO standard is regularly revised to account or engine technology development andstatutory environmental requirements such as MARPOL Annex VI. Amendments in 2010ocused on the level o used lubricating oils (ULO) within uel oils.

The ISO 8217:2010 standard deines maximum and minimum values or variousparameters including:

density, which is required to determine puriication settings and is used to calculate theamount o uel bunkered

viscosity, which is expressed as a luids resistance to low. In everyday terms this isthickness. Viscous (thick) uels require preheating to reduce the viscosity and enablegood puriication, injection and combustion in the engine cylinder

lashpoint o the uel indicates the temperature at which a uel vapour is produced andcan be ignited. In accordance with SOLAS requirements, the lash point must be above60 degrees Celsius. (This does not apply to uel that will be used or emergencypurposes such as generators, ire pumps and lieboat engines)

aluminium and silicon (Catalytic ines) are remnants o the cracking process at the reinery.They are introduced as a catalyst to assist with the reining in a catalytic cracking process.These highly abrasive particles can cause rapid wear o engine components and can bediicult to remove or separate using the ships uel treatment equipment

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The table below illustrates a shortened version o the new ISO 8217:2010 showing the mostcommon grades o HFO.

The products are designated by a code that consists o:

the initials ISO

the letter F (or petroleum uels)

the category o uel, consisting o three letters

the irst letter o this category is always the amily letter (D or distillate or R or residual)

the second letter, M, designates the application Marine

the third letter, X, A, B, C, , K, which indicates the particular properties in the productspeciication (ISO 8217), or residual uels, a number which corresponds to themaximum kinematic viscosity, in mm2/s, at 50C

or example a product may be designated in the complete orm, e.g. ISO-F-RMG 180,

or in abbreviated orm, e.g. F-RMG 180

^ Source: ISO 8217 Fourth Edi tion 2010-06-15

chararii Ui Limi

cagry Iso-FRMD RMe RMG RMK 80 180 180 380 500 380 500

Kinematic viscosity @50C

mm/s(cSt)

Max 80.0 180.0 180.0 380.0 500.0 380.0 500.0

Density at 15C kg/m Max 975.0 991.0 991.0 1010.0

CCAI Max 860 860 870 870

Sulphur Mass % Max Statutory requirements (the purchaser shall define the maximum sulphur content)

Flash point C Min 60.0 60.0 60.0 60.0

Hydrogen sulphide mg/kg Max 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.00Acid number mg KOH/g Max 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5

Total sediment aged Mass % Max 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1

Carbon residue:micro method

Mass % Max 14.00 15.00 18.00 20.00

Pour point(upper)p

Winterquality

C Max 30 30 30 30

Summerquality

C Max 30 30 30 30

Water Volume % Max 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50

Ash Mass % Max 0.070 0.070 0.100 0.150

Vanadium mg/kg Max 150 150 350 450

Sodium mg/kg Max 100 50 100 100

Aluminium plus silicon mg/kg Max 40 50 60 60

Used lubricating oils(ULO)

mg/kg The fuel shall be free from ULO. A fuel shall be considered to contain ULO wheneither one of the following conditions is met:calcium > 30 and zinc > 15; orcalcium > 30 and phosphorous > 15


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Purchasers shall ensure that this pour point is suitable or the equipment onboard,especially i the ship operates in cold climates

Changes to the residual uels (six categories) rom the 2005 third edition include the ollowing:

RMA6 10 has been added (not shown in the table above)

RMG and RMK have been expanded to include additional viscosity grades

RMF and RMH categories have been removed

the addition o the Calculated Carbon Aromaticity Index (CCAI) and speciications or theollowing characteristics: hydrogen sulphide7, acid number and sodium content

sulphur limits have not been tabulated, as these are controlled by statutory requirements

potential Total Sediment (TSP) has been assigned as the reerence test method.

accelerated Total Sediment (TSA) has been added as an alternative test method

ash limit values have been reduced or many o the categories

vanadium limit values have been reduced, with the exceptions o those or RMB 30where the limit value is unchanged and or RMG 380 where the limit value has beenslightly increased

aluminium-plus-silicon limit values have been reduced

the criteria or assessing whether a uel contains used lubricating oil have been amended

It should be noted that the ISO 8217 standard is occasionally reviewed by InternationalMaritime Organization (IMO) and thereore all concerned should check that minimum andmaximum limits are rom the latest edition.

Bio-derived products and Fatty Acid Methyl Esters (FAMEs)I you drive a diesel vehicle in the European Union you may or may not be surprised to knowthat they are burning a blend o petroleum diesel and up to 7% bio-diesel, brought about by

EU legislation to reduce emissions and dependence on hydrocarbon uels. USA, Australiaand Brazil are among countries which have mandated the use o bio-derived products intheir diesel and other petroleum based uels. So does this mean that the marine industrywill ollow the same path?

What is meant by bio-diesel? This is a uel made or diesel engines rom a wide range ovegetable oils or animal ats. These oils and ats are put through a process enabling theproduct to be used in diesel engines. When expressed in chemical terms, they are knownas Fatty Acid Methyl Esters (FAME), the speciication or which is in the standard EN 14214.It is not a new discovery; in act the irst diesel engine (1893) ran on peanut oil.

Acknowledging that there are potential beneits o reduced emissions, when using FAME,getting it to the engine in a satisactory condition is not so simple. Characteristically, FAME

has poor oxidation and thermal stability; stable storage duration may be as little as ourweeks, although with the addition o additives, this may be extended by 612 months,perhaps longer. However, or most ships this would be considered too short a period.

It is worth noting that the acid decomposition products o FAME are suspected o causingdamage to uel pumps, injectors and piston rings. The ISO 8217:2010 standard now includesan acid test. Results o this test should be no greater than 2.5 mg KOH/g. This is commonlytermed the acid number and is expressed in milligrams o potassium hydroxide per gram.

6 RMA, RMG and RMK is a uel grade speciication under ISO 8217, the international marine uel standard.7 The inclusion in the International Standard o an H2S in liquid phase limit o 2.00 mg/kg in the uel directly

reduces the risk o H2S vapour exposure. However, it is critical that ship owners and operators continue tomaintain appropriate saety processes and procedures designed to protect the crew and others (e.g.surveyors), who can be exposed to H2S vapour.


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At present there are no industry guidelines to address the complications related to the useo FAME products as a uel on a ship. It should be noted however that the current ISO 8217:2010 marine uel standard does not allow any bio-derived products to be blended into marinedistillate or residual uels, (Clause 5.4 o ISO 8217:2010).

Notwithstanding that FAME has good ignition, lubricity properties and perceived environmentalbeneits, there are potentially speciic complications with respect to storage and handlingin a marine environment such as:

a tendency to oxidation and long-term storage issues

ainity to water and risk o microbial growth

degraded low-temperature low properties

FAME material deposition on exposed suraces, including ilter elements

The International Standard speciically reers to petroleum-derived materials, thereby excludingany bio-derived materials. However, the practice o blending FAME into automotive dieseland heating oils makes it almost inevitable, under current supply logistics, that somedistillates supplied in the marine market can contain FAME. Even some residual uels cancontain FAME as a result o reinery processes, or blending a distillate cutterstockcontaining FAME.

Precautionary approachThere is no generalised experience with respect to the storage, handling, treatment andservice perormance o FAME within the maritime industry. It is necessary to adopt theprecautionary principle to address any saety concerns in this area o using either blends oFAME/petroleum products or 100% FAME. Furthermore, there are the issues as to thepotential eects o FAME products on the range o marine engines and other equipment

(oily water separators or overboard discharge monitors (ODM)). Thereore, this InternationalStandard limits the FAME content to a de minimis8 level.

To date, determining a de minimis level is not straightorward given that:

a wide range o FAME products rom dierent sources is available in the market

varying levels o contamination can be present through the use o common equipmentor pipelines in reineries, uel terminals and other supply acilities

a wide range o analytical techniques is used to detect these FAME products andassociated by-products with no standardised approach

in most cases, suicient data are not yet available on the eects o FAME products onmarine uel systems

For the purpose o the International Standard: in the case o distillate uels (DMX, DMA, DMZ and DMB when clear and bright), it is

recommended that de minimis be taken as not exceeding approximately 0.1% volumewhen determined in accordance with EN 14078

in the case o DMB when it is not clear and bright and all categories o residual uels,de minimis cannot be expressed in numerical terms since no test method with a ormalprecision statement is currently available. Thus, it should be treated as contaminationrom the supply chain system

8 So small or minimal in dierence that it does not matter or the law does not take it into consideration.


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Fuel producers and suppliers should ensure that adequate controls are in place so that theresultant uel, as delivered, is compliant with the requirements o Clause 5 o theInternational Standard 8217:2010.

Catalytic inesHeavy cycle oil is used worldwide in complex reining as a blending component or heavy uel.Mechanically damaged catalyst particles (aluminium silicate) cannot be removed completelyin a cost-eective way, and are ound in blended heavy uel. Correct uel puriying andiltration onboard ships have a removal eiciency o approximately 80 to 90% or catalyticines. In order to avoid abrasive wear o uel pumps, injectors and cylinder liners, themaximum limit or aluminium and silicon deined in ISO 8217: 2010 is 4060 mg/kgdepending on the viscosity.

There are, however, still reported problems with catalytic ines especially in low sulphur

uels. How can we explain this?

More eicient methods during the reinery process have led to the size o the catalytic inesreducing. This creates a problem or the shipboard puriier to remove them eectively, asthe puriier relies on gravity or separation o the ines. Consequently some o the small inesare passing through to engines and still causing damage.

SludgeSludge is a contaminant that results rom the handling, mixing, blending, and pumping oheavy uel while stored at, and ater it leaves, the reinery. Storage tanks, heavy uel pipelines, and barging can all contribute to the build-up o sludge. Water contamination o ahigh asphaltene uel oil can produce an emulsion during uel handling which can containmore than 50% water. Shipboard transer pumps can requently provide the necessary

energy to produce emulsiied sludges during normal uel transers. These emulsiied sludgescan cause rapid ouling and shutdown o centriugal puriiers, clogging o strainers andilters in the uel oil system and rapid ouling i burned in the engine.

FibresFibre contamination can cause signiicant problems in uel handling onboard ships. Thistype o contamination usually occurs during transport and storage. Fibres can plug suctionstrainers protecting pumps, within minutes o initial operation. Whereas cleaning strainersis not a diicult task, the requency o cleaning and the need or round-the-clock attentiongenerally create problems with the allocation o manpower. A centriuge normally isineective in removing oil soaked ibres because they have the same density as the oil beingpuriied. Hence, downstream manual or auto-strainers and ine ilters can be expected toclog quickly, and continue to clog requently until the entire amount o a ibre contaminated

uel has been consumed or removed.

BUnKeRInG


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Oxidation productsThis orm o contamination is the result o the marine residual uel ageing, either beore orater it is bunkered. Residual uels are not stable or long periods at elevated storagetemperatures. The time rom the reinery to use onboard ideally should be less than threemonths. It is anticipated that uture residual uels resulting rom more intense secondaryprocessing will be even less stable. Heated heavy uels, stored in uncoated steel tanks andexposed to air (oxygen) will oxidise and polymerise with time. The resultant sludges, gumsand resins will initially orm in solution and then collect and settle or adhere to the tankssuraces. Also, as heavy uels age, their shipboard conditioning and treatment become morediicult. In the extreme, the diesel engines combustion process can deteriorate, causingincreased ouling deposits and corrosion, as a result o burning such partially oxidised olderuel oils. Generally, residual uel oils should not be bunkered or utilised as ballast, trim, orheld in reserve or extended periods. The oldest on spec uel on the ship should be burnedirst to prevent any heavy uel oil rom ageing beyond three months rom its bunkering date.

Microbial contaminationMicrobial contamination usually occurs with jacket water systems, diesel uels andlubricating oils onboard ship. However, there have been instances where HFO and IFO havebeen contaminated.

MicrobesMicrobes in uel are bacteria, yeasts or moulds. They are normally o the hydrocarbondegrading and corrosive species.

1. they need water, nutrients and warmth to grow

2. microbes live in the water phase, but eed o nutrients in the uel phase

3. microbes dislike agitation, preerring a dormant uel system

Sources o microbial contamination

1. imported inested hydrocarbons rom reineries or bunker barges

2. residues remaining onboard rom previous bunker barge operation

3. sea water

There will always be a risk o contamination to shipboard residual uel rom one othe ollowing:

1. load port contamination o storage tanks

2. load port delivery piping

3. cargo tanks o the ship

4. pump room o the ship5. sea water ingress


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BUnKeRInG

The latest microbe species have spawned new types o bacteria in uels, which produce stickypolysaccharide polymers very similar to cling-ilm. This clogs ilters by trapping particles.

Microbial attack over time will degrade the uel, reducing its caloriic value. Waste productssuch as hydrogen sulphide will cause the cloud point and thermal stability o the uel to beaected and a stable water haze will be created. Eventually the uel will ail speciicationtests or water separation.

PreventionThe irst point to note is that low numbers o microbes will ALWAYS ind their way into a uelsystem. I they reproduce slowly they will not accumulate. I a large inestation occurs thepotential or trouble will be established.Physical prevention

Water is the key ingredient to tackle.

1. assess uel tank drainage systems

2. implement an eective water drainage programme as a part o normalwatchkeeping routines

3. implement quarterly cleaning and chemical disinection o uel systems, puriiers,ilters and coalescers

4. isolate service tanks against suspect uel i possible

5. implement a uel tank inspection schedule or bio-ilm and corrosion damage

6. eradicate microbial levels on a regular basis

7. monitor uel suppliers quality

8. send o quarterly samples o the HFO service and settling tank or laboratory analysis

DecontaminationMicrobes do not die naturally. They must be killed or removed, and all o the ollowing arepossible approaches:

1. settling: microbes are denser than uel and will settle at the bottom o a tank

2. centriugal: microbes subjected to centriugal orces will separate out

3. heat: microbes exposed to heat in excess o 70C will be killed

4. pumping out the tank ashore and hand-cleaning the tanks surace using amanuacturers recommended disinectant

Identiying microbial attack

Routine sampling and microbiological testing is the only eective way to detect and identiythe presence and activity o microbes.

Ready-to-use and onboard cargo uel should be tested weekly. Water phase samples romstorage tanks or engine room tanks should be taken and i inected uel is detected, actionshould be taken.

Proessional assistance should be sought i microbial contamination develops and the useo biocides is necessary as part o the treatment process.


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Fuel additivesBiocides

they should be chemically compatible with the uel, the machinery and thesystem components

moderately contaminated uels can be used ater dosing, providing the biocide hasbeen circulated ully

severely contaminated uels will have sediment ater dosing with biocides. Thesedeposits and sludges must be removed by physical decontamination to prevent blockeduel systems

seek advice rom the bunker uel analysing company and/or the ships chemicals supplier

Bunker system maintenanceBunker lines are to be pressure tested annually under static liquid pressure o at least

1.5 times the maximum allowable working pressure. It is recommended to stencil thepressure test rating and date o test on the bunker pipeline.

Overlow and high level alarms (where itted) are to be tested and recorded as part o theships planned maintenance alarm testing routines.

Bunker valves are to be checked or correct operation, and glands inspected and lubricatedto ensure that they are ree to operate. This should be incorporated into the ships plannedmaintenance system. Remotely operated valves should also be incorporated into theplanned maintenance routines to ensure that they are opening eectively, actuators are notleaking and micro-switches are not loose or deective.


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Charterparty clauses

When a ship is on voyage charter, the owner remains responsible or the provision o bunkersunless otherwise agreed. However, where the ship is on time charter then it is the chartererswho are responsible or providing and paying or the uel. Owners must be vigilant whennegotiating the wording o charterparty clauses relating to bunker uel supply.

Matters can become complicated when a charterer is contractually positioned between thebunker supplier and the shipowner. I there is a complaint about uel quality, there may beproceedings between the charterer (as uel purchaser) and bunkers supplier, or between theshipowner and charterer under the charterparty. The shipowner may also proceed againstthe bunker supplier.

The standard types o charterparties contain clauses regarding bunkers which shouldaddress the ollowing:

quantity o bunkers on delivery/redelivery saety o the place and location where the ship bunkers

ownership o the bunkers at the end o the charter period

quality

charterers

Note that the ships description or particulars which is oten attached to the charterpartymust be accurate. This includes the quantity o bunker space available at say 90% capacity.

QuantityMany charterparties contain a clause setting out the quantity or approximate quantity obunkers that should be onboard the ship at the time o delivery/redelivery, + or a margin.

This quantity is assessed at the time o delivery or redelivery by either an o hire/on hiresurvey or by using ship igures.

Saety o the place where the ship bunkersMost charterparties contain a clause that the ship is to be employed in lawul tradesbetween sae ports. A sae port is normally termed as ollows:

A port will not be safe unless, in the relevant period of time, the ship can reach it, use it andreturn from it without, in the absence of some abnormal occurrence, being exposed todanger which cannot be avoided by good navigation and seamanship.

The issue o a sae place or bunkering can be at times problematical. Oten bunkers canonly be taken in speciied locations authorised by the port. These locations may not be

suitable because o congestion or weather exposure, or example. The master should beirm in only accepting to arrange bunkers in a sae location.

Ownership o the bunkers at the end o charter periodAll time charterparty orms will provide that charterers are to take over and pay or theuel onboard the ship at the time o delivery and owners are to do likewise at the time oredelivery. Typical wording is as ollows:

Charterers shall accept and pay for all the bunkers onboard at the time of delivery, andowners shall on redelivery (whether it occurs at the end of the charter period or on theearlier termination of the charter) accept and pay for all bunkers remaining onboard.

DocUMentAtIon

04


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QualityThis is probably the most common area or complaint. A typical wording is as ollows:

The charterers shall supply bunkers of a quality suitable for burning in the ships enginesand auxiliaries and which conform to the ISO 8217 4th Edition.

The owners reserve their right to make a claim against the charterers for any damage to themain engines or the auxiliaries caused by the use of unsuitable fuels or fuels not complyingwith the ISO 8217 4th Edition standards or which otherwise prove unsuitable for burning inthe ships engines or auxiliaries. The owners shall not be held responsible for any reductionin the ships speed performance and/or increased bunker consumption, nor for any time lostand other consequences.

Another typical clause relates to uel oil sampling and analysis:

Three samples of all fuel shall be taken during delivery, sealed and signed by suppliers,Chief Engineer and Charterers agent, each of whom should retain one sample. If any claimshould arise in respect of the quality or specification of the fuel supplied, the Owners andCharterers agree to have samples of the fuel analysed by a mutually agreed analyst.

The Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO) provide guidance on bunker qualityclauses including bunker uel sulphur content clauses.

CharterersA charterer will also want to ensure that the bunkers remaining on board ater deliveryconorm to the ISO 8217 4th Edition uel speciications. This should be included in thecharterparty, otherwise the charterer may be held liable or any subsequent damages that

arise rom the use o existing bunkers on board.

Charterers should also consider that uel oil analysis is carried out on residual uelsbunkered which should not be used until a positive uel oil analysis has been received.

SummaryA bunker quality control clause should be drated careully and take into account:

bunker uel speciications or both residual uel oils and diesel uels

stipulations on delivery receipts and number o samples to be taken, sealing procedureand time o retention

owners reservation o right to claim or damages caused by the use o unsuitable ueloil supplied

Reer to BIMCO Bunker Quality Control Clause or Time Chartering or example.

Ships trading in areas where bunker grades are diicult to obtain require careul considerationas to the bunker clause. In many outlying parts where uels are blended on the bunkerbarge, the quality may be suspect. As previously mentioned,

A Master's Guideto Using Fuel Oil On board ships

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