Scarborough, Tobago – February 23, 2024 – The Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries (MEEI) today advised that preliminary fingerprinting reports submitted by the Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA) have identified the hydrocarbon discharge affecting the southeast coast of Tobago as an ‘intermediate fuel oil.’
These reports were generated from samples taken from three distinct areas: the shoreline at Canoe Bay, 200 meters from the overturned vessel, and directly near the vessel. Fingerprinting analyses of the samples were performed using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). The analyses of the hydrocarbon discharge collected in Tobago consistently indicated that the samples are characteristic of a refined oil.
In industrial applications, an ‘intermediate fuel oil’ is also commonly referred to as ‘bunker fuel.’ This is the colloquial term for fuel oil specifically used by marine vessels. Bunker fuels are typically classified (e.g., A, B, and C) based on their downgrading quality, characterized by their boiling points, carbon-chain lengths, and viscosities, all of which contribute to their value.
Fuel oils are a class of oils used in ocean vessels, derived from refining crude oil and blending with refinery distillates. Currently, the majority of the global shipping fleet relies on Bunker C fuel oil. Therefore, based on these preliminary reports from the IMA, the hydrocarbon discharge from the overturned vessel is definitively characteristic of ‘intermediate fuel oil’, providing crucial information for the ongoing Tobago oil spill investigation and cleanup efforts.
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