distribution, storage, handling and use of these fuels. For this reason, a Joint Industry Project (JIP) has been established to raise awareness of these issues.
This guidance document is one of the first results of the JIP and it provides guidance on the technical and safety implications of the new requirement for max. 0.50%-sulphur fuels. It offers advice to personnel involved in the marine fuels and shipping industries, from fuel blenders and suppliers through to end users.
What’s more, it provides a background to the MARPOL Annex VI regulation as it impacts the change to a new marine fuel regime, and addresses issues such as fuel compatibility, fuel stability, and fuel handling and storage, together with the operational factors that can affect safety.
In addition, it frequently addresses IMO, CIMAC and ISO documents which should be consulted as necessary. Moreover, the partners to the JIP are using this guidance as the basis for developing an e-learning course module for relevant stakeholders.
An e-learning course will be released in October 2019, aiming to:
- Provide an understanding of MARPOL Annex VI and its potential impact on the management of fuels on board ships;
- Raise awareness of and offer solutions to potential fuel management issues.
The publication contains various important messages, which can be summarized as following:
1. Ensure fuel quality by ensuring that blend components are suitable for bunker fuel production, with particular attention being given to ensure that the final product is stable.
2. Fuel suppliers and purchasers should provide adequate information to the ship concerning the fuel as supplied to enable ship crew to identify and manage potential safety and operational issues associated with certain fuel properties and characteristics;
3. Fuel characteristics are expected to vary considerably between bunkers. The ship’s crew will need to adopt a more proactive approach to fuel management. They will need to know the fuel characteristics as loaded and be able to respond to the requirements, especially in terms of on-board temperature requirements and any commingling;
4. While compatibility between fuels from different supply sources can be a concern in today’s environment, assessing compatibility of 0.50%-sulphur fuels from different sources will be key. To the extent possible, fuel should be loaded into an empty tank. The available space for new bunkers to be loaded should be taken as the capacity of the empty tanks in order to avoid commingling on loading;
5. Ship operators and fuel suppliers should review operational practices to allow sufficient time to test for compatibility between existing and proposed bunker fuel delivery, especially if no “empty” dedicated storage tank is available on the ship.
However, it must be noted that it does not discuss compliance with Flag State, Port State or IMO rules or guidelines, or alternative means of compliance (such as scrubbers) and does not include a discussion of other fuels, like liquefied natural gas (LNG), hydrogen, methanol and so on.
The publication has been compiled and developed by a number of leading cross-industry organisations. They are as follows:
African Refiners Association;
Concawe, Environmental Science for European Refining;
Institute of Marine Engineering, Science & Technology;
International Association of Classification Societies;
International Bunker Industry Association;
International Council on Combustion Engines;
International Union of Marine Insurance; IPIECA; Japan Petroleum Energy Centre;
Oil Companies International Marine Forum;
The Royal Institution of Naval Architects.
Ensuring correct use of the new fuel The guidance presents a compre- hensive set of responsibilities under a series of sub-headings. In more detail these are:
58 | The Report • September 2019 • Issue 89
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