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ClassNK has announced that it will release the English edition of Version II of its previously published Guidance for Measures to Cope with Degraded Marine Fuels: Taking into Account the Poor Combustibility of Fuels in November this year.

Whilst the first 1996 edition (Ver. I) focused on preventing increases in major damages attributable to fuel oil, the 2008 edition (Ver. II) takes a close look at what can be done to prevent fuel oil problems from arising due to poor combustibility.

The text gives a technical explanation of the many factors that contribute to problems caused by poor combustibility and the various measures that can be taken to address these issues.

Key factors leading to fuel oil problems in the 1996 edition consist of the four “highs”: high density, high viscosity, high sulfur, and high catalytic fines. However, the main issues affecting fuel oil in the 2008 version have shifted to one “high” and three “lows”: high density, low viscosity, low sulfur, and low catalytic fines.

The contents of this updated and revised Guidance include a discussion on the shift in factors affecting fuel oil performance and examines poor combustibility, low-sulfur fuel oil, ISO standards, emission regulations, fuel oil processing systems, and countermeasures for improving fuel oil use.

The references section includes information on various types of damage based on actual damage reports, a bibliography and a glossary.