- Maersk accuses Glencore of having supplied low quality bunker for two of its container ships in 2018.
- The ships subsequently experienced engine problems, and Maersk wants millions of dollars in compensation for the damages.
Logistics giant AP Moller-Maersk is suing global commodity trader Glencore over an alleged bunker fuel contamination that it claims caused an engine failure in 2018, reports Ship & Bunker.
Contaminated fuel leads to engine failure
The Sofie Maersk suffered total engine failure in the Pacific in March 2018, having to be towed to Hawaii. Maersk alleges fuel supplied by Glencore caused this, as well as pump damage in the Maersk Aras, news agency Bloomberg reported, citing court documents.
Maersk had received the fuel in an exchange of 24,000 gallons of bunkers between the two companies in Panama in February 2018, Bloomberg said.
Trial underway
Tests of the fuel found “contaminants including plastic fibers, black hum, paraffins and fatty acids,” Bloomberg cited the complaint as saying.
The case is being heard at a court in New York.
The global bunker industry suffered a contamination crisis in 2018,with quality issues spreading from the US Gulf to become a worldwide problem.
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Source: Ship & Bunker
