Global average viscosity levels for very low-sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) reached their highest average in the third quarter since 2020, according to French classification society Bureau Veritas.
The average VLSFO viscosity levels at 50°C totaled 165 centistokes (cst) in the third quarter of 2024, the highest average for July-September since Bureau Veritas started compiling this data in 2020. The viscosity level was up slightly from the same quarter in 2023 at 164 cst, which was the previous high for this period.
Las Palmas and Algeciras in Spain had, by far, the highest average VLSFO viscosity in the third quarter at 284 cst and 265 cst, respectively, according to Bureau Veritas. Nearby Gibraltar had the next highest at 202 cst followed by Fujairah, UAE, at 200 cst. Las Palmas and Algeciras also had the highest VLSFO viscosity in the second quarter of this year.
Santos, Brazil, had the lowest average viscosity at 70 cst, followed by Istanbul, Turkey, at 76 cst and Houston, Texas, at 82 cst.
The higher the viscosity level, the less friction and wear and tear will occur in the ship's engine.
The percentage of off-specification VLSFO in Istanbul rose sharply to 9.4pc in the third quarter, Bureau Veritas said. There were no reported instances of off spec VLSFO in Istanbul in the previous two quarters of this year. Hong Kong had the next highest percentage at 3.2pc followed by Piraeus, Greece, at 1.9pc.
Burning off-spec marine can damage a vessel's engine and potentially cause it to fail.
