According to Singapore authorities, the tainted fuel discovered in Singapore this year and sold to many ships was first loaded onto a tanker in the United Arab Emirates, says an article published in Financial Post.
Investigation conducted
Following an inquiry into the fuel acquired by Glencore and then PetroChina Co, Singapore’s Maritime and Port Authority stated it had discovered the source of the contamination.
Tested the fuel
According to MPA, Glencore Singapore Pte purchased the tainted petroleum from Straits Pinnacle Pte in January and February, which had contracted its supply from Unicious Energy Pte.
It said Straits Pinnacle and Unicious are both registered in Singapore.
According to MPA, the tainted fuel was put into a tanker in the UAE port of Khor Fakkan and sent to storage facilities in Tanjung Pelepas, Malaysia, for further blending.
It was then transported to Singapore storage facilities.
According to the authority, Glencore and PetroChina both tested the fuel but failed to discover the contamination since current rules do not include testing for chlorinated organic compounds, or COC.
Issues with fuel pumps and engines
According to authorities, Glencore and PetroChina delivered the contaminated fuel to around 200 ships in Singapore’s port.
About 80 of these ships had reported problems with their fuel pumps and engines.
Risk of collision
Last month, Bloomberg reported that a growing number of ships receiving tainted marine fuel at Singapore’s key hub had experienced power outages, citing fuel testing firm Veritas Petroleum Services.
Ships that lose power at sea can be exceedingly dangerous, increasing the chance of collision or grounding.
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Source: FinancialPost
