SHIPOWNERS face increasing risks of US$27,000 to $50,000 in penalties per incident of being caught with non-compliant fuels as biofuel mandates kick in, reports, Insurance Marine News, of Maidstone, Kent.
A new report from Lloyd's Register and marine consultancy Thetius estimated that in excess of one million tonnes of off-specification or non-compliant fuels were detected in vessels each year.
The report into the market, technology, and regulatory trends of fuel oil bunkering is titled "Testing Times, The vital role of ship fuel oil testing and quantity verification in an uncertain era".
The report said that the introduction of biofuel oils, a growing prevalence of bunker licensing schemes, along with upcoming changes to ISO standards for marine grade fuels, made it more vital than ever that ship operators receive the correct advice and oversight on bunker procurement and refueling operations.
The report also highlighted a number of contributing factors that had made the market prone to serious issues, including the Russia/Ukraine crisis, fraud and corruption, lack of supply chain transparency and climate change.
Thetius research chief Matthew Kenney said that "the evidence gathered in this report paints a worrying picture for ship operators who are facing increasing costs and risks from contaminated fuels while tackling a myriad of other challenges. Significant gaps remain where opportunities for poor quality and off-quantity bunker deliveries can gain and maintain a foothold."
Andrew Shaw, managing director of LR's Fuel Oil Bunker Advisory Service (FOBAS), said that the research highlighted the issues surrounding fuel quality and the importance of testing in an era of contamination and new blended products that put at risk the safety of crew, the environment and the protection of the vessel as an asset.
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