IMO 2020 and Octamar BT-25

ISSUE

The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) regulation, known as IMO 2020, mandated the reduction of the sulphur content of maritime fuels to 0.5% from the old limit of 3.5%. Shipowners and operators had to comply by using the new fuels or installing exhaust scrubbing technology.

Compliant fuels were an issue for the industry in terms of cost, availability and performance. This was by far the largest change in regulation relating to marine fuels impacting 75% of the fuel used by the shipping industry.

As the world’s only major fuel additive manufacturer focused solely on fuel additives, Innospec has been working on innovative new solutions for years developed unique fuel additives to eliminate issues arising from the IMO 2020 regulation.

APPLICATION

Tank cleaning

Tank cleaning can be completed by adding Octamar™ BT-25 directly to HSFO. 

• Disperse all the asphaltene sludge that may have accumulated over the years, stabilising it and helping the fuel to burn without clogging filters
• Designed to leave the tanks, especially the sidewalls, corners and tight compartments relatively cleaner
• Clean the tank faster compared to manual cleaning and reduce the quantity of sludge/sediments for shore disposal

Fuel stability

Stability of new low sulphur fuel oil (LSFO) is going to be a key concern. Octamar™ BT-25 can be used continuously to:

• Maintain fuel stability during blending, handling and storage
• Disperse existing sludge formation and prevent further agglomeration
• Decrease fuel waste and sludging in fuel separators 

CONCLUSION

Leading up to 1 January 2020 it would not have been practical for the majority of the global fleet running on High Sulphur Fuel Oil (HSFO) to undergo dry dock manual cleaning within a very short period. An alternative to manual cleaning of tanks was to gradually clean the sediments and asphaltene sludge from HSFO tanks and fuel systems by dosing additives. 

Innospec’s Octamar™ BT-25 contains asphaltene dispersant stabiliser was able to reduce the waste from fuel, achieve cleaner combustion, reduce the risk of engine failure as well as clean up tanks and fuel system.

For more information on how we can help you with your marine fuel additive needs: