Wilhelmsen and Hitachi High-Tech Analytical Science partnership delivers convenient IMO 2020 compliance, with quick and easy on-board fuel sulphur testing
With the International Maritime Organisation’s 0.50% global sulphur cap on marine fuels set to come into force on 1 January 2020 and discussions on enforcement strategies and potential penalties for non-compliance gathering pace, the ability to perform lab-quality testing in seconds, will soon become an operational necessity for crews, and authorities, alike.
Hitachi High-Tech’s XRF spectrometers are seen as the petroleum industry’s established benchmark for upstream and downstream quality control, requiring little sample prep, minimal training and providing almost instantaneous, verifiable results.
Jonas Östlund, Product Marketing Manager, Oil and Water, Wilhelmsen Ships Service says, “Partnering with Hitachi High-Tech Analytical Science, one of the leading fuel testing specialist, enables us to provide our customers, what we believe will, become an absolutely essential tool ahead of IMO 2020. Crews will be able to eliminate the risk of accidental non-compliance. As vessels approach Emission Control Areas (ECAs), with a lower 0.1%, permissible sulphur content limit, the engine room can immediately and accurately test the Sulphur content of the fuel flowing to the engines after changeover and ensure it is compliant”.
In addition to mitigating the risks of non-compliance during changeovers, fast, reliable, on-board testing equipment lessens the reliance on the traditional Bunker Delivery Note, empowering crews to check the sulphur content of fuel during bunkering, rather than potentially having to deal with potential fuel specification issues after the fact.
Östlund adds, “No hassle testing, onboard and on demand, Hitachi High-Tech’s XRF analysers, along with their industry leading expertise and technical support, will make navigating the new fuel sulphur regulations, while not quite plain sailing, far less of a burden”.
Vito Angona, Global Sales Director, Hitachi High-Tech Analytical Science says, “Our partnership with Wilhelmsen offers customers the best of both worlds, our 45-years of expertise in fuels analysis and Wilhelmsen’s wealth of experience in the shipping services market. We offer a turnkey solution to the market, everything you need for sulphur analysis in one place by one supplier.”
Wilhelmsen will be offering the X-MET8000 handheld XRF analyser from Hitachi High-Tech which complies with ASTM D4294, ISO8754, and IP336 sulphur test methods. Built to be robust enough to be used in a scrapyard, it comes with an embedded GPS to pinpoint exactly where analysis is performed. The X-MET8000 is fast and simple to use making it a frontrunner for owners and operators looking to stay the right side of regulations. Hitachi High-Tech’s cloud service and data-sharing enable you to store, share and manage analysis data anywhere, anytime. Customers will also benefit from in-house service and remote diagnostic services for support. It could also a particularly good fit for Port State Control (PSC) authorities.
With no clear guidance for member states from the IMO as yet, recommended test methods for fuel compliance, various options are under consideration by PSCs, including drone technology to assess smoke plumes and sniffer units in port to detect sulphur emissions.
However, with cost and weather issues affecting such solutions, it is likely mobile equipment, such as the X-MET8000, which PSC officers can use to quickly pass or fail vessels’ fuel, will become the favoured means of testing compliance to the new regulations.
About Wilhelmsen
With one of the most comprehensive maritime networks in the world, Wilhelmsen Ships Service has the ability to deliver to more than 2 200 ports in 125 countries worldwide.
Supplying marine solutions including Unitor products, Timm ropes, Unicool refrigerants, and Unitor and Nalfleet marine chemicals, along with a complete portfolio of ships agency services and maritime logistics, last year we made product deliveries to 27,500 vessels and handled 75,000 port calls.
The maritime industry’s trusted partner in port, on board and offshore, our wide portfolio of products and services are available in every market and region, to every conceivable vessel type.
Constantly developing new and daring solutions, shaping the maritime industry for the future, we take competence, sustainability, innovation and unparalleled customer experiences that one-step further.
Wilhelmsen Ships Service is part of the Wilhelmsen group. For more information, visit: https://wilhelmsen.com
About Hitachi High-Tech Analytical Science
Hitachi High-Tech Analytical Science, part of Hitachi High Technologies Group, is headquartered in Oxford, UK. We have over 45 years’ experience providing high-tech analysis solutions, designed to meet the tough challenges of a rapidly evolving industrial sector.
Our range of smart, high-performance laboratory and in-field testing instruments deliver analysis that adds value throughout the production lifecycle; providing of operation for even the most demanding applications. Our fuel analysis instruments include:
X-MET8000 handheld analysers, used by thousands of businesses to deliver in-field simple, rapid and non-destructive analysis for alloy analysis, scrap metal sorting and metal grade screening using precision XRF technology.
LAB-X5000 and X-Supreme8000 benchtop XRF analysers deliver high reliability quality assurance and process control across a diverse range of industries such as petroleum, wood treatment, cement, minerals, mining and plastics.
For more information, visit: https://hha.hitachi-hightech.com/en/
About Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is engaged in activities in a broad range of fields, including Science and Medical Systems, Electronic Device Systems, Industrial Systems, and Advanced Industrial Products. The company's consolidated sales for FY2017 were approx. JPY687.7 billion [USD6 billion].
For further information, visit http://www.hitachi-hightech.com/global/