<article><p class="lead">High-sulphur fuel oil (HSFO) had the most instances of being off-specification among marine fuels, according to a global study by bunker trader Integr8. </p><p>The company found 3.6pc of the HSFO examined had an off-specification issue compared with 2.7pc for very low-sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) and 2.3pc for marine gasoil (MGO). Integr8 examined data from about 35,000 marine fuel deliveries this year to find marine fuel quality trends.</p><p>Despite having the highest percentage of off-specification supply, HSFO has a lower percentage than VLSFO of "high risk" off-specification incidents that could cause greater damage to a ship. The higher risk bunker fuel contained elevated elements such as total sediment, sodium and ash content. </p><p>MGO had the highest availability out of the three types of bunker fuel because of the higher quality available and the ease of supplying it, Integr8 said. MGO was available at 567 ports examined for he report. Shipowners typically buy MGO in smaller quantity compared with HSFO and VLSFO, which also makes it easier to supply. </p><p>VLSFO was also widely available, at 463 ports in total. VLSFO availability is generally high because of stronger demand and more barges available to supply VLSFO. </p><p>There was HSFO available at only 187 ports as of August, according to the report. HSFO availability is limited to larger bunkering hubs such as Singapore, the world's biggest bunkering port, that are more likely to receive a ship fitted with a scrubber, Integr8 said. </p><p>VLSFO and HSFO quality has generally improved over the last six months, the company said, but that is coming off a period of lower quality in the first quarter of this year. The lower quality coincided with the beginning of the war in Ukraine and a rise in oil prices, according to Integr8.</p><p class="bylines">By Luis Gronda</p></article>
