An overview of how the Low fuel prices have made an impact on the shipping industry since the outbreak of the pandemic

 The shipping industry, gliding on very few margins, is drawing pity from cheaper bunker fuel prices caused by the coronavirus pandemic. A considerable decrement in the prices of bunker fuel bittersweet for ship owners as global trade volumes fall but the jury is still out on whether this will offset fragile shipping demand, which has tainted key routes around the world after annihilating those in Asia.

As the pandemic outbreak due to the covid-19 novel coronavirus takes the chair out from global oil demand that is decreased to a new level, marine fuel price surges are an inaccessible memory for the whole maritime industry. Nevertheless, they only took effect from January 1. The crisis has forced gasoline companies to dragged marine fuel prices below levels seen even before IMO 2020 became a driving force.

This year a large fraction of the maritime industry deviated to fuel that is more costly and contains a lower proportion of sulfur to comply with IMO 2020 rules, which cut the sulfur cap to 0.5% from 3.5%. The marine fuel of choice for many ship owners was very low sulfur fuel oil (0.5% sulfur).

The sulfur scrubber uses arbitrary dumped packing, a fog eliminator, and a liquid distribution system to remove sulfur dioxide by the process of absorption and neutralization. It is ideal for hot combustion drain streams from thermal oxidizers, kilns, industrial boilers, and incinerators.

The ongoing pandemic driven fluctuation of the marine fuel market is a far cry from the fears of price spikes post IMO 2020 when the sector rushed to stockpile compliant fuels. Preceding IMO 2020, owners that had secured bunker contracts to mitigate IMO 2020 advised charter companies to take ships from them as it includes price volatility on the spot market, which starkly contrasts with conditions now.

  

Mixed blessing

While usually, the true winners of lower marine fuel prices are the downstream end users – the ship owners and charterers – the reduction in fuel costs is providing little solace in an otherwise gloomy macro-economic picture. In many instances, in line blender is used in in-line bending which means the act of liquid processing in a pipeline as fluid is pumped from point A to point B. The machinery that manages this process is called a static mixer.

Weakened demand for the bunker fuels, and in turn, cheaper fuel prices mirrors that of reduced shipping volumes in the maritime sector, acting as a double-edged sword for ship owners. Nonetheless, the importance of shipping to the global economy has been highlighted during the pandemic so far, because maritime fuel has seen relative support compared to other transport fuels like gasoline and jet fuel.

Overall, the marine industry has been on its toes so far this year. As the industry sails through choppy waters, only time will tell what is in store, but signs of a revival in demand will certainly be the main focus in the near term.

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An Overview of different types of Ethanol-Diesel Blends

 The blending of certain fuels with conventional fuel is one way to preserve the near to extinct petroleum reserve. Examples of low-level fuel blends include E10, E15, B5, and B2. Blends generally consist of two types of alternative fuels, for instance, hydrogen and compressed natural gas (HCNG), which can be a combination of 20% hydrogen/80% CNG. B20 (20% biodiesel/80% diesel) and E85 (51% to 83% ethanol blended with gasoline depending on geography and season) are not considered low-level blends.

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There are two types of blending processes mainly:

• Inline Blending
• Batch Blending

Inline blending has many advantages in terms of reduced process time, flexibility to allow, for instance, last-minute changes in shipping schedules, has an improved accuracy performance, and reduces the storage capacity and capital lockup needed.

 

Different Ethanol Blends

Ethanol is available in the different blends for use in traditional and flexible fuel vehicles.

• High-Octane Fuel

 

The U.S. Bioenergy Technologies Office funded a project to assess the potential of high-octane fuel (HOF) to curtail the utilization of energy and the emission of greenhouse gases, as well as to know more about the hurdles to its successful market introduction. The project concentrated on HOF with an ethanol content of 25% to 40% for use in an engine of a vehicle specially designed to take advantage of the high octane content of the fuel.

 

• E10

 

E10 is a low-level blend consists of 90% gasoline and 10% ethanol. It is approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for use in any conventional, gasoline-powered vehicle. The use of E10 was spurred by the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 (and subsequent laws), which mandated the sale of oxygenated fuels in areas with unhealthy levels of carbon monoxide. This kicked off modern U.S. ethanol industry growth.

 

• E15

 

E15 is approved for use in the year 2001 and newer light-duty conventional vehicles. An important requirement is the implementation of a misfuelling mitigation plan to reduce the risk of vehicles older than year 2001 refueling with E15.

 

• E85

 

E85 also known as flex-fuel is a blend of ethanol and gasoline in which ethanol amounts for 51% to 83%, depending upon demographics and climate that qualifies as an alternative fuel. E85 is most commonly used in Flexible Fuel Vehicles (FFVs), which have an intramural combustion engine and are designed to run on E85, gasoline, or any blend of gasoline and ethanol up to 83%. Flexible Fuel Vehicles have been formed since the 1990s, and more than 60 variants are currently available.

 

• Intermediate Blends from Blender Pumps

 

Blender pumps are dispensers that blend fuel from two tanks. For instance, a blender pump dispenser can offer three grades of gasoline (regular, premium, mid-grade) by accumulating regular and premium in two tanks underground. The dispenser then blends the two to offer mid-grade gasoline.

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