Fuel foul: off-spec marine fuel incidents on the rise

Fuel quality incidents are on the rise, according to a semi-annual report produced by UK-based classification society Lloyd’s Register (LR). 

The Fuel Oil Bunker Analysis and Advisory Service’s Fuel Quality Report for July to December 2025 showed what the class society called "a sharp rise in the frequency and severity of off-specification marine fuel incidents across several of the world’s busiest bunkering hubs".

"The second half of 2025 was characterised by a significant concentration of repeated fuel quality failures across major ports including Singapore, Rotterdam, Antwerp, Hong Kong and Port Klang," LR said. 

The upward trend in incidents through the latter half of 2025 continued to grow, with December seeing the highest number of monthly off-specification cases recorded for the calendar year.

LR said the incidents are being driven by recurring fuel quality issues involving high sulphur levels, extreme catalytic fines, elevated sediment, and excessive water content.

And it is not only bunker fuel that has followed the declining trend in fuel quality; marine gas oil, too, has shown problems. Among distillate fuels, the LR report recorded repeated flashpoint failures in ports in the EU, including Civitavecchia, Lisbon, Palermo and Lianyungang.

Several samples tested "between 47°C and 55°C, well below the SOLAS minimum of 60°C", LR said. 

The report encouraged what it called proactive fuel management for 2026, and cited new EU legislation among the ’complexities’ facing the EU marine fuels market this year.

"With the expansion of the EU Emissions Trading System and the introduction of FuelEU Maritime requirements, operators are expected to encounter a more complex fuel landscape. As new feedstocks, biofuel blends and alternative fuels enter the market, LR notes a growing requirement for robust onboard fuel management and consistent application of best practice sampling and testing procedures," the class society said.

In terms of causation, the report links some of the off-specification fuel cases to land-grade diesel fuel entering the marine supply chain and calls for strict supplier verification and routine laboratory flashpoint testing, particularly outside major bunkering hubs.

LR fuel consultant Murray Kirkwood said, “The clustering of off-specification events towards the end of 2025 demonstrates the ongoing volatility of the global marine fuel supply chain. While many fuels continue to meet specification, the scale and severity of late-year incidents leave little margin for error and reinforce the need for conservative fuel handling, robust testing regimes and proactive onboard management.”