According to a recent Manifold Times article, Brookes Bell has announced its entry into the bunker fuel testing market with a new high-end laboratory.
About the announcement
UK-based global technical and scientific consultancy Brookes Bell on Friday (31 July) announced plans to develop a high-end laboratory to deliver:
- comprehensive metallurgy,
- bunker fuel testing,
- paint analysis and
- non-destructive testing facilities.
Comprehensive services
According to a statement from the company, the new 8,000 sq. ft facility will be commissioned in the northwest of the UK (near Liverpool) to deliver a more comprehensive service to its maritime clients, and to support entry into new markets, and will come on-line in October 2020.
About the laboratory
The laboratory will house the following:
- an inspection and testing facility,
- a light industrial/engineering space and
- offices.
Reflecting Brookes Bell’s increase in fuel-related investigations and claims, the laboratory will also house a new bunker fuel testing facility.
Benefits from the laboratory
Brookes Bell said as poor quality fuel often leads to extensive and expensive machinery damage:
- the new facility will test fuel to ISO 8217 standards to highlight substandard samples and
- to help identify the causes and origins of fuel-related problems.
Ray Luukas, Chief Technical Officer at Brookes Bell said, “As our new laboratory comes on-line, we will create a high-end metallurgical consultancy and technical unit which will include non-destructive testing as well as paint analysis and fuel testing.”
“This type of facility is rare and we will use it to deliver value-added services to our clients as well as a driver to help us achieve our expansion ambitions.”
Investigating the causes of coating failures
The company added, paint analysis will be conducted using state-of-the-art digital microscopes and software at the new facility to investigate causes of tank and hull coating failures.
Determining the cause
Coating flakes can be inspected and analysed to determine causes for a range of faults including:
- blistering,
- detachment,
- cracking,
- rust formation and
- inadequate anti-fouling protection.
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Source: Manifold Times
