FOBAS report highlights fuel challenges

The H1 2026 Fuel Quality Report shows that while the increased use of biofuel blends, including fuels containing higher levels of fatty acid methyl ester (FAME), has not resulted in significant quality concerns, wider fuel quality issues remain a challenge for the shipping industry.

FOBAS, which regularly tests and analyses marine fuels from around the world, found that some fuels meeting the ISO 8217 specification still experienced stability problems and other operational issues after bunkering, demonstrating that compliance alone does not always guarantee reliable onboard performance.

The report also identified persistent global issues including sulphur non-compliance, excessive water content, elevated sediment levels and high catalytic fines. Some of the world’s major bunkering hubs continued to experience particularly complex fuel quality challenges.

According to FOBAS, routine marine fuel testing remains one of the most effective ways for operators to identify off-specification fuels, monitor the degradation of compliant fuels during storage and accurately diagnose fuel-related operational problems.

The complete H1 2026 FOBAS Fuel Quality Report is available to download through LR’s Fuel Insight series.