SEDL / STP / STP878-EB / STP35269S

Marine Fuels and International Standards

Thornton, RH
Senior technical representative, Exxon International Co., Florham Park, NJ

Casale, PG
Technical coordinator, Esso Research Center, Abingdon, Oxfordshire

Davidson, D
Technical advisor, Esso Research Center, Abingdon, Oxfordshire

Graham, M
Manager of Marketing and Technical Coordination, Exxon International Co., Florham Park, NJ

Pages: 21    Published: Jan 1985

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Abstract

Problems attributed to marine fuel quality are increasing. Important factors influencing fuel quality are the type of crude oil refined and the refining processes it undergoes. Conversion steps such as visbreaking and catalytic (cat) cracking concentrate the less desirable characteristics in bunker fuel oil. Therefore, proper shipboard treatment of marine residual fuels is essential for reliable and efficient engine performance.

Intermediate marine residual fuels are still ordered by viscosity alone, but the work on international specifications for marine fuels is nearing completion. BSMA 100:1982 was published by the British Standards Institution (BSI) in 1983, and work is nearing completion by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) on international standards. As a common reference, standards will be valuable, and their eventual adoption by the trade in the purchase and sale of bunkers is likely.