French liner giant CMA CGM is suing GCC Supply & Trading for more than $5m at a court in Texas over an alleged case of contaminated bunkers dating back to 2023. CMA CGM claims 13 of its vessels were damaged when it took on VLSFO fuel at Houston in the first half of 2023.
“Shortly after the fuel was supplied, the Vessels encountered significant operational issues, including but not limited to fuel pump seizures, ICU leakages, loss of engine power and propulsion in some cases leading to blackouts,” CMA CGM said in its filing.
Fuel checker VPS reported in June 2023 of a bunker contamination case at the Texan port, the largest bunkering hub in the Americas. VPS detected the presence of dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) and associated isomers at significantly high levels in VLSFO bunker fuel deliveries in Houston from a single supplier for a few months that year.
DCPDs are unsaturated chemical compounds which can make bunker fuel more sticky and viscous.
