Lintec News

The International Bunker Industry Association (IBIA) will be holding a forum entitled: ‘Bunkering with new fuels – Building on strong foundations’ as part of London International Shipping Week, on Wednesday 9 September. The event will include presentations from Mark Bell from SGMF (Society for Gas as a Marine Fuel), Michael Green, Global Technical Manager for Intertek Lintec, Armelle Breneol EAME Marine Fuels Logistics Advisor for ExxonMobil, Vyacheslav Mischeko from Argus Media and Nigel Draffin maritime consultant and author. The speakers will address the latest topical issues, in particular the availability of ECA compliant fuels…

Fuel testing agency Lintec Testing Services has warned that three fuel oil samples taken recently from vessels that have bunkered in Riga, Latvia, have shown the presence of Dicyclopentadiene (DCPD), a synthetic substance not naturally occurring within marine fuel. Lintec Managing Director Geoff Jones said, “The presence of DCPD was detected by Lintec’s chemical screening service. This fuel is clearly in breach of Section 5.1 of the ISO-8217 specification, which clearly states that ‘the fuels should be homogeneous blends of hydrocarbons derived from petroleum refining. This shall not preclude the incorporation of small amounts of additives intended to improve some aspects of performance. The fuels shall be free from inorganic acids and from used lubricating oils.

provide their customers with the proper levels of technical support. double-checking the accuracy of the sample tests that are being processed. tools.

becoming junk mail. customer. alerts," says John Dixon, managing director of Lintec Testing Services. "In the event of a bunker alert, shipowners and operators should not panic. distributed to masses of recipients. junk mail. Dixon says, "Bunker alerts suffer from many problems. sensitive to their fuel buying practices. inform the client personally. situation.

by chlorinated cleaning solvents. damaged fuel valves and sticking of engine fuel pumps, plungers and barrels. In some cases the damage to the engine may even leave a vessel immobilised. integrity of the client's bunker supplies. by primary distillation. quantity of chemicals present. routine testing parameters.

Lintec reported that 13.7 percent of all samples it tested exceed at least one parameter requirement in 2003. This represents a 4.5 percent increase in off-spec results over 2002. And Lintec believes that deteriorating marine fuel quality is a long-term global trend. In the latest issue of its Testing Times newsletter, Lintec says: "Marine fuel quality is likely to decrease further in years to come. However, Lintec also makes clear that an off-spec result does not necessarily mean there is a critical problem. Detailing its analysis, Lintec says only 3 per cent of its test results in 2003 represented a problem that could potentially cause significant operational difficulties.

chemical contamination. level of protection since it was launched at the end of October last year. of extraordinary bunker contamination incidents in 2004. Lintec managing director. bunkered at the port of Fujairah. ships that used the fuel. trichloroethylene and other contaminants in the Fujairah fuel. says. the fuel accidentally. the basis for the new service. "It is Lintec's view that any contaminants in fuels are undesirable. sense. order to avoid needlessly scaring our customers." Dixon adds.

of ships' crews and the operation of vessels. styrene monomer is a chemical commodity. plants. Lintec considers to be acceptable. managing director John Dixon. ppm range. over 20% having more than 100 ppm styrene concentration. the source of the problem. Dixon. fuel. Secondly, there is the health and safety issue. knowingly puts their crews at risk from inhaling chemical vapours. will damage the engine. under some circumstances it can polymerise and cause fuel filter clogging. needs to be controlled. because it poses a significant health risk. launched as an add-on service to normal fuel testing last year. layer of forensic protection on a routine basis, at very small cost. edge. launched this thinking about engine damage," says Dixon.

Lintec Testing Services has appointed Paul Livingston as Regional Manager for Asia. Paul makes the move to Singapore from Darlington in the UK, where he was operations manager supervising all three of Lintec's laboratories. Paul's new role will see him developing Lintec's Asian business. "Singapore has the largest and most advanced bunker market in the world. I look forward to being at the heart of the action," Livingston says. John Dixon, managing director of Lintec, says: "Singapore leads the way with bunker standards and Lintec leads the way in providing peace of mind for shipowners and charterers. Paul's wealth of technical expertise puts him in good stead to do just that."

warns fuel testing agency, Lintec Testing Services. Almost all bunker buyers specify that their fuel must comply with ISO 8217. covered by the standard. specifications. must comply with ISO 8217 AND with Marpol Annex VI. bunker delivery note specifying sulphur content, density and viscosity. "A new updated ISO 8217 standard should be ready by the end of 2005. Hopefully it will include Annex VI requirements. should make sure they are getting the right fuel. that is to specify it.

International marine fuels testing and analysis company Lintec has launched Marline, an Internet-based fuel analysis service that will provide clients with tailor-made current and historical fuel analysis data - dramatically increasing the waiting time for results. Marlin, which is the most advanced Internet-based testing service currently available, was developed over the course of one year. A basic demonstration of the service can be viewed at www.lintec-group.com/maclinets.htm, using "mch" as the client code, user name and password.

warns Lintec, the international marine fuels analysis specialist. 2005, owners and suppliers need to take action sooner. practice, vessel design, engine room and bunkering procedure. be met. body within their state. copies of bunker receipts and samples. vessel, based on the high vanadium result of the fuel. minimal damage.