b'COAST GUARD REPORTMarine Safety Alert: Prevention of Water COAST GUARDand Contaminants in Marine Fuel SystemsT he U.S. Coast Guard Office of Inves- From large commercial ships operating interna- filters, as well as the use of filter differential tigationsandAnalysishasreleasedtionally, to inland towing vessels and recreation- pressure gauges to monitor the condition Marine Safety Alert 06-22, to addressal boats, failure to ensure a supply of fuel freeand cleanliness of the filter element.the effects of water and other contaminants inof water and contaminants can have devastating fuel systems which can be detrimental to theconsequences. The Coast Guard strongly rec- Considertheuseofawatersensorinoperation of any vessel. ommends that vessel owners and operators: dieseltankorfiltersystemtomonitor water content in fuels. These sensors may A towing vessel experienced a loss of all propul-Ensure that fuel supplies (bunkers) meetbe combined with displays and alarms tosion while operating on the Mississippi River.theenginemanufacturersspecificationsindicate excessive water and are generally The loss of propulsion occurred approximatelyfor important parameters such as viscositymoreeffectiveatdetectingrisingwater three hours after getting underway and aboutand cetane number, as well as any regula- content than periodic manual sampling.3.5 hours after receiving fuel from a shoresidetory requirements such as flash point and facility. There was no significant damage to thesulfur content.Ensure that a means is provided, usuallyvessel, nor injuries to crew members because ofbyavalveandpipingarrangement,to this casualty.Include regular fuel oil sampling and test- periodically sample the fuel being receiveding from service tanks as part of a periodicduring bunkering.The subsequent investigation into the causalmaintenance system.factors revealed that the vessels fuel tanks andHave a plan in place to recover from any fuel service system to the engine were heavily Ensure that fuel filters are of the correctengine shutdown that occurs because ofcontaminated by water. The amount of waterflowrateandfiltration(micron)rating,water contamination in fuel. Fuel severely contaminationwassosignificantthattheand that an adequate supply of spare filterscontaminated by water or other impuri-vessels engines initially suffered a reduction inis kept onboard. ties has the potential to cause damage to power and eventually shut down completely,the engine in a number of ways, including resulting in a total loss of propulsion.Consider the use of duplex filter systemssubsequentcontaminationofthelubri- to enable switching from clogged to cleancating oil system.Vesseloperatorsandengineershavelong known the hazards associated with contami-nated fuel. Fortunately, advancements in fuel qualitystandardsandonboardpurification and filtration systems have resulted in less-fre-quentcasualtiesfromfuelcontamination. Improvementshavebeenmadeinengine designs,resultinginprecisemachiningand smaller clearances in parts such as fuel pumps, bearings,cylinders,burners,andinjectors. Contaminantssuchassedimentandwater can have detrimental impacts on equipment designed to operate on clean, water-free fuel. Because fuel is constantly consumed while the vessel is operating, continuous vigilance in fuel procurement, as well as system operations andRELIABLE POWER FOR A maintenance, is required to maintain a qualityDEMANDING SCHEDULEfuel program.Your business cant compromise when it comes to Large ships often have the benefit of havingmaintaining a demanding schedule. Thats why the space and power available to operate cen- customers count on reliable John Deere PowerTech trifugal purifiers to ensure high fuel quality ismarine engines. With high torque and low-rated rpm, John Deere engines deliver dependable power and maintained. This is frequently not the case forquiet operation.smaller vessels that operate only on rivers or lakes. Those vessels often only have one or twoFull power range of marine engines 60 to 559 kw (80 to 750 hp)filters installed directly in the fuel supply line and those types of filters are not as efficient asJohnDeere.com/Marinecentrifugal purifiers for removing water.45 JUNE 2022'