Responsibilities of fuel suppliers
Suppliers are expected to deliver a fuel which meets the parameters agreed between the supplier and the buyer. The fuel supplier is the party responsible for the delivered quantity and quality either directly or through subcontractors. Likewise, ‘meeting the needs of the ship’ means that the fuel supplied should be stable in regular handling, homogeneous across the entire delivery and fit for purpose after appropriate on-board treatment.
The supplier is also responsible for maintaining appropriate documentation to help identify product origins, including the manufacturing source and the various links in the supply chain, to allow traceability. Monitoring fuel quality at each step of the supply chain will also be crucial to identify points of entry of any extraneous or harmful materials if these are discovered when the fuel is being used. If suppliers get components from other suppliers, they should obtain assurance that appropriate supply chain quality control steps have been taken.
It is important that the supplier delivers accurate information so that the ship operator can characterize the fuel supplied and take the appropriate initial steps in setting up procedures for the handling, treatment and use of that fuel the guidance highlights.
This information would be added to the required provision of the representative commercial samples, MARPOL delivered sample, material safety data sheets (MSDS) and bunker delivery notes (BDNs). The additional information would be in the format of a comprehensive certificate of quality (CoQ) or equivalent documentation.
Quality control during production of bunkers
The bunker supplier should ensure control of individual blend component quality. This includes knowing the components’ individual properties through accurate data, and the component origins supported by relevant documentation as agreed between the buyer and seller of the components.
Blend components should also be of known suitability for bunker fuel production, with particular attention being given to ensure that the final product is stable. The fuel should not include harmful or damaging materials in concentrations that may cause damage as defined in Clause 5 of ISO 8217:2017 and Regulation 18.3 of MARPOL Annex VI. This does not preclude the use of additives intended to improve specific fuel characteristics such as cold flow or combustion properties. Any additive used should have a proven track record and should be thoroughly evaluated to ensure that it is fit for use in marine fuel applications.
Furthermore, the supplier should ensure that the final blend, whether produced at a refinery or in a tank terminal, is tested at an accredited (e.g. ISO or equivalent certification) laboratory.
Transport, storage and transfer
The quality of a bunker fuel or blend components may change compared to its origin during transportation, transfers and storage. The supplier should oversee the transportation of the fuel, blend components and additives to make sure that product contamination does not take place in tanker ships, shore tanks, pipelines, road tankers or barges prior to delivery. The supplier is expected to have in place a QMS (ISO 9001 or equivalent) to monitor, manage and assess the quality of the products they are supplying throughout the above processes.
When arranging delivery, the supplier is expected to ensure that the product is supplied without cross-contamination from any other grade being supplied to the ship, or from any other material previously handled by the delivery facility. This is especially important where delivery facilities are used to supply different grades of fuel and/or different sulphur specifications.
The Report • September 2019 • Issue 89 | 59
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88
