The purchase of marine fuels is often dictated by price, and it is seldom that quality is considered in establishing the true value of a fuel. Understanding the influence of quality on value is key to making sound bunker purchases. Fuel additives have been used for many years by vessel operators in order to increase the value of fuel, whilst mitigating fuel quality risks.

From 2015 there has been a change in distillate vs. residual fuel demand due to the ECA legislation dictating a lower maximum sulphur content of 0.1%. The higher distillate fuel consumption will inevitably suppress residual fuel quality, and therefore value. Refineries will adapt deeper conversion procedures to meet the extra demand of the market, resulting in a further deterioration of the ignition, combustion and stability properties of the provided residual fuel.

The 2015 ECA legislation further challenges fuel stability since future fuel changeover will be between middle distillate and residual fuels, and at a slower change over rate maximizing the incompatibility risk. Distillate fuel can represent its own risks, since increased consumption requires additional storage space onboard, along with longer storage times. This means risks of inadequate lubricity, stability and cold flow properties must be considered.

The market has also seen the emergence of several hybrid “ECA Compliant” fuels, which do not meet current ISO8217 specifications.

This presentation demonstrates the true value of fuel quality versus cost, and how fuel additives are a reliable and cost effective solution focused directly on solving the above for mentioned fuel quality and operational challenges of today and tomorrow, whilst increasing value. A summary of new ECA Compliant fuels, their properties and their advantages / disadvantages versus conventional fuels will also be considered.