Several ships in Singapore and Rotterdam reported operational problems in recent months after using marine fuel blended with cashew nutshell liquid biofuel, fuel testing agency CTI-Maritec said in an advisory.
- Singapore-based CTI-Maritec said it tested samples from the affected ships and found the marine fuel was blended with cashew nutshell liquid that came from undeclared source materials or production processes.
- The ships had reported operational problems including fuel sludging, injector failure, filter clogging, system deposits and corrosion of turbocharger nozzle rings.
- CTI-Maritec advised ship-owners not to use 100% cashew nut liquid as a marine fuel or as a blending component, or unestablished bio-products in marine diesel engines.
About Cashew nut liquid
- Cashew nut liquid is a non-FAME (fatty acid methyl ester) biofuel, which is a byproduct of the cashew nut industry.
- While it has been touted as an alternative renewable fuel, it also has high acid values and is corrosive.
- Ship-owners have been exploring various marine biofuel blends as an alternative to dirtier bunker fuels in order to cut emissions.
- The latest version of the ISO 8217 marine fuel specification specifies the use of accepted biofuels including FAME-based biofuels and hydrotreated vegetable oil.
