AP Moller-Maersk is reported to be suing commodities trader Glencore over the alleged sale of contaminated bunkers in 2018.
The Danish shipping giant bought the fuel in a deal that saw the two companies swap 24,000 gallons of bunkers at two different terminal locations in Panama, Bloomberg reported.
Maersk claimed the off-spec fuel had caused engine failure on board the 9,600-teu containership Sofie Maersk (built 1998).
The Danish-flagged ship had to be towed into Honolulu, Hawaii, in March 2018 while en route from Mexico for China.
The US Coast Guard told local media at the time that the ship “experienced main engine trouble, mostly with bad fuel” after departing from Mexico.
Maersk also blamed the contaminated fuel for damaging a fuel pump on a second containership — the 4.662-teu Maersk Aras (built 2013).
Test on fuel samples are reported to have found contaminates including plastic, fibres, black gum, paraffin and fatty acids, according to legal documents filed in a New York federal court.
Plaintiffs Maersk Line and Maersk Oil Trading Panama are being represented by Don Philip Murnane of Freehill Hogan & Mahar.
In early 2018, it was alleged that hundreds of vessels had been affected by contaminated bunkers with the problems starting in the US before spreading to Asia.
Vessels reportedly suffered mechanical issues ranging from clogged pipes and filters to full engine breakdown and power loss.
Glencore could not be immediately reached for comment.
