Seatrade Maritime is part of the Informa Markets Division of Informa PLC

This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them. Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. Number 8860726.

Parker Kittiwake launches sulphur content testing device

136cb6b031c61124d6dd7197419cb19c
Parker Kittiwake has launched an innovative new device which can measure fuel sulphur content as well as various other metrics.

The ground-breaking X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) Analyser is a portable testing device which, among other parameters, provides an accurate indication of sulphur content through the analysis of a small fuel sample in less than three minutes.

This gives both shipowners and Port State Control (PSC) the ability to conduct laboratory-standard testing onsite, before non-compliant fuel is bunkered and before a vessel carrying non-compliant fuel leaves port, Parker Kittiwake said in a press release.

Traditional methods for confirming compliance with sulphur limits rely on paperwork requirements such as the Bunker Delivery Note (BDN). This not only significantly increases the risk of non-compliance and subsequent penalties for shipowners, but also heightens the environmental impact of burning fuel with a higher sulphur content.

In addition, the delay incurred by laboratory analysis creates the risk that the vessel may have left port with non-compliant fuel onboard, or may require non-compliant fuel to be de-bunkered and compliant fuel re-bunkered, incurring significant delays and additional cost. The XRF Analyser provides a spot-check analysis of the sulphur content in fuel on site, allowing PSC to ascertain compliance almost instantly, and helping shipowners to avoid fines, as well as the time, expense and operational impact of bunkering non-compliant fuel.

Parker Kittiwake marine condition monitoring manager Larry Rumbol said: “Given the lack of environmental policing on the high seas, enforcement of the 2020 global sulphur cap is a daunting challenge for the industry. Efforts to develop robust enforcement solutions tend to focus on paperwork checks at ports, but this must be reinforced by accurate, reliable testing data.”

He continued: “Shipowners and operators are fighting an uphill battle to ensure they can effectively prove compliance. And Port State Control needs a way to ascertain compliance quickly and onsite, allowing them to take timely and appropriate action. With significant confusion over the stipulations in the way sulphur measurements are made - for example it is possible for fuel to pass ISO 4259 commercial tests but fail against MARPOL standards - it is clear that both parties require easy access to the data they need to accurately check and prove compliance.”

In addition to sulphur testing, the XRF Analyser can be used to measure a range of wear metals in lubricating oil, allowing operators to quickly identify potential damage in cylinder liners, bearings, piston rings, gears, stern tubes and hydraulic systems.

Integrated into a small, lightweight housing, the XRF is easily portable for ‘plug-and-play’ operation. Test results are displayed as a percentage on an LCD screen, avoiding ambiguity and mitigating the risk of human error through operators needing to interpret the test data.

“Effective enforcement is at the heart of the sulphur cap, and onboard testing is the most efficient means of establishing compliance with sulphur regulations. The XRF Analyser can be used to test the fuel and verify the sulphur content against what’s stated on the BDN, eliminating the risk of accidental non-compliance,” Rumbol concluded.