Lloyd’s Register has warned of a marked deterioration in marine fuel quality during the second half of 2025, with December recording the highest number of monthly off specification cases for the year.
LR’s latest Fuel Oil Bunker Analysis and Advisory Service (FOBAS) Fuel Quality Report covering July to December 2025 highlights a sharp rise in the frequency and severity of off specification marine fuel incidents across several of the world’s busiest bunkering hubs.
The new analysis, which follows the publication of the H1 report earlier in 2025, highlights a marked deterioration in fuel quality in the closing months of the year.
The second half of 2025 was characterised by a significant concentration of repeated fuel quality failures across major ports.
December saw the highest number of monthly off specification cases recorded in 2025, driven by recurring issues involving high sulphur levels, extreme catalytic fines, elevated sediment, and excessive water content.
The report highlights the importance of proactive fuel management as the industry moves into 2026.
With the expansion of the EU Emissions Trading System and the introduction of FuelEU Maritime requirements, operators are expected to encounter a more complex fuel landscape.
As new feedstocks, biofuel blends and alternative fuels enter the market, LR notes a growing requirement for robust onboard fuel management and consistent application of best practice sampling and testing procedures.
The data from H2 2025 reinforced the importance of robust supplier vetting, laboratory testing, and proactive onboard management, as even routine parameters could quickly become operational risks when limits were exceeded by significant margins.
The growing use of biofuels and the emergence of alternative fuels present both opportunities and new technical challenges, particularly in the areas of energy measurement and blend consistency.
Murray Kirkwood, fuel specialist consultant, Lloyd’s Register, said: “The clustering of off specification events towards the end of 2025 demonstrates the ongoing volatility of the global marine fuel supply chain. While many fuels continue to meet specification, the scale and severity of late year incidents leave little margin for error and reinforces the need for conservative fuel handling, robust testing regimes and proactive onboard management.”
The FOBAS Fuel Insight: Fuel Quality Report H2 2025 builds on LR’s earlier analysis from the first half of the year.
It provides updated data, new case studies and deeper insight into how regional trends are evolving under tightening environmental regulation and changing fuel formulations, including the full enforcement of the Mediterranean Sulphur Emission Control Area.
