French shipping giant CMA CGM has filed a lawsuit in a Texas court against GCC Supply & Trading, seeking over $5 million in damages. CMA CGM claims that in the first half of 2023, 13 of its vessels loaded VLSFO fuel provided by the company in Houston, which caused significant damage to the ships.

In its filing, CMA CGM stated, "Shortly after receiving the fuel, these vessels encountered major operational issues, including but not limited to fuel pump jamming, ICU leaks, loss of engine power and propulsion, and in some cases, power failures."

Fuel inspection company VPS reported a fuel contamination incident in Texas ports in June 2023. The port is the largest fuel hub in the Americas. VPS detected that the VLSFO marine fuel provided by a supplier in Houston contained a large amount of dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) and related isomers during several months of testing that year.

Dicyclopentadiene is an unsaturated compound that can make marine fuel more viscous.