Beating the Marine Diesel Bug...

FUELSTAT Marine (Diesel) test Kits - For rapid and accurate onsite detection of microbial contamination in land based Diesel and Bio-Diesel Fuels with Results within 10 Minutes!!!

"Tried, Tested and Effective" - Relied upon in the Aviation Industry by over 300 airlines and now developed for use in the Marine and Land Diesel Industries.

Marine Diesel and the 'Diesel Bug'

Marine diesel, along with all diesel fuel, is susceptible to microbiological contamination. Diesel contamination is usually the result of a consortium of organisms acting together. These organisms usually include bacteria, moulds and yeasts. Whilst there are 30 organisms known to grow in fuels, the ones most commonly found are the bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the mould Hormiconis Resinae (H.res) and the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica. This collection of microbes is commonly known as the "diesel bug".

There is more detail on 'the Diesel Bug' and 'FAQ' pages on the side menu.

Marine Fuel

Deep sea shipping, in both the commercial and defence sectors, utilises HFO (heavy fuel oil) for at-sea navigation. This heavy fuel (bunker oil) is not subject to microbial infestations, although there is worldwide governmental pressure to decrease emissions by restricting the use of this grade of fuel. Conventional marine engines, including gen sets etc use standard diesel and carries the same microbial contamination risk as all other grades of diesel.

In Europe, from January 2011 the risk of microbial contamination has increased as a result of the introduction of the latest EU Fuel Quality Standard for Gas Oil Requirements. This latest standard applies to Non Mobile Road Machinery, including not-at-sea marine applications. The standard requires reduced sulphur and increased Biofuel levels in diesel. This new fuel specification is more susceptible to 'bug' growth due to its higher water content and the reduced sulphur level - Sulphur can control the growth of microbes, where as water is essential for microbial growth.

Please refer to the side bar menus for more in-depth information.

FUELSTAT Marine Test

Conidia Bioscience introduced its fast, accurate on-site test for microbial contamination in marine diesel fuels in December 2010. This 10 minute, pregnancy style test is easy to use and interpret, requires no special skills, equipment or specialist disposal (except the fuel sample itself). This means that marine users only need a pair of gloves, a flat surface and a fuel and/or water sample to find out which microbes are growing in their fuel and at what level.

This level (negligible, low or high) corresponds directly with the actions that are needed to remedy the situation.

Negligible contamination indicates no further action is required.
Low contamination indicates the use of a biocide.
High levels of contamination indicate major intervention is required. This usually involves cleaning the tank and system and either discarding or polishing the fuel before returning it to the tank.

Note: If the contamination has been there for some time the injectors, fuel lines and tank(s) may havebecome clogged or corroded. Extensive corrosion has been known to require complete fuel system replacement.

A good fuel cleanliness program, involving regular water draining, and at least bi-annual testing (with treatment in line with test results) are the key to keeping the problem of microbial contamination under control.

Sulphate Reducing Bacteria (SRB)

In response to requests from marine, land and aviation customers alike, Conidia Bioscience has started development of an easy to use test kit to target the issue of SRB contamination - that is infestation by anaerobic microbes. SRB's are normally found at the bottom of the tank, in the sludge that builds up over time. Conidia Bioscience is hoping to introduce the next addition to the test range in 2012.