The new International Standard for Marine Fuels, ISO 8217:2005 (E) has just been published by the International Organization for Standardisation (ISO).This is the third edition of the standard and replaces the second edition, ISO 8217 :1996.

These revisions bring the standard up to date and will make life simpler for purchasers of fuel to ensure they get the fuel they want. By including limits on more waste matter and giving information on precision and interpretation of test results they should also cut down on disputes.

All purchasers should ensure they specify the revised standard when purchasing.ISO 8217 2005 includes several important changes:

• The reference temperature for viscosity has been changed from 100degC to 50degC to reflect the reality of the bunker market.
• The number of categories for residual fuels has been reduced to ten.
• The sulphur limit for residual fuels has been changed to come in line with the requirements of Annex VI to Marpol.
• The maximum water content has been reduced to 0.5%(v/v) and density limits for lower viscosity categories have been lowered.
• Limits are now included for zinc, phosphorus and calcium for all residual fuel categories and distillate category DMC. The limits set for these elements are designed to indicate the absence or presence of used lubricating oils (ULOs) in a fuel. The standard also includes further information on ULOs in the informative Annex H.

Additional informative Annexes relating to precision and interpretation of results (Annex F), sodium and vanadium (Annex G) and Acidity (Annex I) have also been included for this third edition of ISO 8217.

The full text of the standard can be found at www.iso.org

Source of information:

LintecTesting Services

United Kingdom

Tel +44 1325 390 180

E Mail

ads@lintec-group.com