THIS week on the Lloyd’s List podcast, we are turning our attention to the growing industry concern surrounding the issue of contaminated bunker fuel.

Recent cases of bad bunkers hitting Houston and Singapore have affected hundreds of ships — far more than initially identified, with new cases emerging daily.

It’s not the first time this has been an industry hot topic, but it has rather highlighted what looks like a very fragile supply chain. 

Perhaps more worryingly there is a growing concern that the chaos caused by the current batch of contaminated fuels could be an indication of increased problems to come as the shipping industry struggles with the 2020 sulphur limits on fuel and increased blending of fuels.

This week, Lloyd’s List Editor Richard Meade is joined by the International Bunker Industry Association chief executive Justin Murphy and Dragos Rauta, technical director of the tanker industry body Intertanko to discuss risk mitigation, whether the situation is likely to get worse and why there are no global standards for fuel testing. 

Don’t forget, you can now subscribe to the Lloyd’s List Podcast via iTunes and most other podcast providers. And make sure you are registered for a free account on Lloydslist.com so you can receive our invaluable Daily Briefing e-mail.

We welcome your feedback and story suggestions for the podcast, so let us know what you think by emailing editorial@lloydslist.com.