Marine fuels, Specification ISO 8217

With increased blending of marine fuels to meet the IMO 2020 Sulphur limits, it is now more important than ever to have an understanding of the requirements for acceptable fuels.

Fuel is usually the most expensive consumable for vessel operation. Use of poor quality, off-spec, fuel causes damage to machinery, breakdowns, and delays.

This title will describe:

The fuel standard ISO 8217;

The requirements for residual and distillate fuels covered by the ISO 8217 standard.

Other requirements for residual and distillate fuels not covered by the ISO 8217 standard.

Learning objectives:

• Be familiar with the content of the standard
• Know that the current standard for marine fuels is ISO 8217
• Be able to relate the parameters contained within the standard to shipboard operations and possible problems.
• Know that the standard covers two groups of fuels – marine distillate fuels and marine residual fuels
• Recognize that not all of the quality issues are covered by the current fuel standard