Update on marine fuels
The IMO 2020 sulphur cuts have led to a rise in marine fuel quality issues, and in particular an increase in the level of off-specification very low sulphur fuel oils (VLSFOs). However, help is at hand in the form of additives and additional testing. This help is referenced in Infineum’s Insight piece Spotlight on Marine Fuels, which you can now access here as a download. As a distributor of Infineum products, Multisol is able to offer solutions to the challenges of IMO 2020 and enable Multisol customers to improve their refining economics.
In the Spotlight piece, Steve Bee, Group Commercial and Business Development Director at VPS (the world’s largest bunker fuel testing company), talks through the problems and discusses the solutions.
He points to the fact that VLSFOs can quickly destabilise once on-board a ship but research by VPS has found that additives can help with stability and lubricity.
Steve also discusses wax issues caused by the higher paraffinic content found in VLSFOs and how pour point and wax appearance temperature/wax disappearance temperature (WAT/WDT) testing can provide valuable information.
The subject of additional testing is also discussed and Steve talks about how the Turbiscan test is being used to complement potential total sediment tests to access sedimentation.
Looking to the future, Steve addresses the growing interest in lower carbon fuels such as LNG, LPG, ammonia and hydrogen and explains their pros and cons.
Read the Spotlight on Marine Fuels article in full here or for more product information contact one of our team