it was a dark and stormy night

I bunkered up a Pure Car/Truck Carrier last night. It was cold and rainy, and, while slightly nerve-wracking (there's always the opportunity to get wedged under the turn of the bilge of a PCTC while it's in ballast), it went well.

Today, though, sees my first chink in the armor of the new regime.

As most maritime operators now know, there's a big to-do over the sulphur content of one's diesel. Environmental regulations vary so widely by region, that in theory, a ship operator could be forced to carry three or four grades of diesel fuel in order to stay out of handcuffs. And there's no joke there- a fuck-up could cause that kind of response, or, barring that, a serious hit to someone's wallet.
So this morning we're carrying a segregated load to the next customer. IFO 380, which is the gold standard of black oil, and some diesel in our segregated clean-oil system. BUT, the sulphur content of the diesel is higher than the ship requested, which means that they refused the diesel. End result is that we have to return the diesel to the refiner, and then fill up again with the proper diesel. Half a day lost, plus waiting time for a berth at the refinery... someone's going to take it in the seat for this one.


Anyhow, this is still playing out. As I write, I'm sitting alongside the ship, buttoned up and awaiting orders.