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Glencore sued for off-spec HSFO

  • Market: Oil products
  • 26/09/22

Ship owner Serifos Maritime is suing oil trader Glencore for $2.18mn for allegedly supplying its vessel with off-specification high-sulphur fuel oil (HSFO) in Singapore in March.

Serifos is the owner of 309,396t deadweight oil tanker Serifos, which is outfitted with a marine exhaust scrubber. According to the lawsuit filed in US federal court in New York, in March the captain of Serifos ordered 4,110t of HSFO for delivery in Singapore through bunker broker Socomet Bunkering. The fuel was supplied by Glencore.

Fuel samples were collected during the refueling, but by the time test results showing off-specification fuel were received the vessel was on its way to its destination, Cap Lopez, Gabon.

The laboratory detected 0.45pc of different organic chlorides, such as dichloroethane, trichloromethane and tetrachloroethylene. "Organic chloride components can decompose during heating of the fuel and, in the presence of water can form hydrochloric acid, a strong, corrosive inorganic acid" harmful to a vessel, the lawsuit alleges. The International Organization for Standardization requires that bunkers are free from inorganic acid.

Serifos consumed 234t of Glencore's bunkers which were loaded in the same tank as 1,618t of previously purchased HSFO. The comingling slightly diminished the level of organic chlorides, but the vessel still encountered engine issues. On its next voyage, Serifos diverted to Singapore, where Glencore removed the remaining off-spec bunkers and replaced them. Serifos sent Glencore an invoice for $2.18mn claiming damages.

According to a global study by bunker trader Integr8, HSFO had the most instances of being off-specification among marine fuels.

The lawsuit was filed with the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, where Glencore is incorporated.

Glencore and Serifos did not respond to a request from Argus for comment.

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