Troubles with a marine Diesel engine can occur unexpectedly, and regardless of the quality of maintenance. It can take much time to find the cause when a marine Diesel engine stops without any clear mechanical reason.
It has been reported that huge amounts of sludge containing mycelia were found trapped on a marine Diesel oil strainer element; this causing the engine to stop because of the reduction of fuel supplying the engine. In this study we examine the contamination and the distribution of fungi - and their mycelia - in fuel oils loaded aboard and stored on an ocean going training ship. Fungi in the marine Diesel oil were discovered localized in the hull fuel tanks and in the settling tank of the engine room; the fungi had made mycelia.
These results indicate the importance of the management of marine Diesel oil stored in a ship's tanks in order to avoid unexpected troubles with a main engine and/or generator engines. We also examined the lubricating oil temperature at the main engine outlet, which increased 50-55°C.
Fungi could not be detected from the sample taken from the tank-pipe lubricating system, except in the settling tank. Since the lubricating oil in the settling tank was stored for more than ten years without use, the pH value had been reduced to about 6.0, indicating the importance of keeping the lubricating oils alkaline. Also, exposure to high temperature can prevent fungous growth.
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