Custody Transfer Sampling as a Quality Assurance Strategy for Managing Bunker Purchases Effectively.

Marine bunkers in general account for as much as 40 per cent of a vessel’s annual operating costs. Given the regular price fluctuations of this commodity, ship operators are very concerned about their fuelling expenses. It also does not help to note that the quality of bunkers has remained unpredictable and is in fact not expected to improve as a result of increased catalytic cracking activities in refineries. With this in mind, ship operators should be more vigilant during the delivery of bunkers to ensure their vessels receive the quality and quantity they have ordered and paid for.

As bunkers are delivered in tonnes, laboratory analysis of a “representative” sample taken during the fuel delivery is the only effective means of ascertaining the quality and quantity received. The reliability of the sample analysis in turn hinges on how and where the fuel sample has been drawn from. Obviously, the right equipment and sampling procedures must be used, but many ship operators overlook the importance of the correct sampling location.

The Custody Transfer Sampling Article explains in detail the importance of obtaining a representative fuel sample and how the sampling location can affect the representative quality of such a sample. It also examines the inadequacies and repercussions of current bunker delivery guidelines on the challenge of getting both buyers and sellers to agree on a common sampling point. Through a series of bunker delivery scenarios and examples of fuel delivery malpractice, the article suggests “custody transfer sampling” as a strategy for ship operators to manage their fuel purchases effectively, amidst rising bunker costs and inconsistent fuel quality.