Vink Chemicals — German manufacturer of marine fuel biocides since 1991
Vink Chemicals GmbH & Co. KG is a Hamburg-area chemicals manufacturer specialising in industrial biocides and preservation chemistry. The Grotamar fuel-treatment line — Grotamar 71, Grotamar 82, Grotamar 89 — is formulated for microbial contamination control in middle-distillate fuels: marine diesel (MGO and MDO), heating oil and biodiesel blends. Grotamar 82 is the workhorse for marine applications.
The operational point for an engineer or fleet manager: Grotamar 82 is the same active chemistry being run by commercial shipping fleets and superyacht engineering teams across Europe. It is not a yacht-chandlery rebrand of an unspecified additive — it's a manufacturer-formulated marine diesel biocide with a published technical data sheet, MSDS, and fuel-compatibility profile across the FAME-blended low-sulphur fuels mandated by IMO 2020 (MARPOL Annex VI, 0.5% global / 0.1% ECA sulphur cap).
Mercer Yachting's role is the supply layer: Mediterranean stock, technical advisory, dosing programmes, fuel-sample test coordination and Med-wide dispatch — handled out of our Marsaskala warehouse in Malta. Smaller retail formats (200 ml, 1 L, 10 L) are channelled through our sister brand Ritz Marine; the 200 L and 1000 L bulk formats covered on this page are enquiry-driven.
Mercer Yachting — Three Supply Lines for Vink Chemicals Across the Med
Vink Chemicals — manufacturer of the Grotamar marine biocide line.
Mercer Yachting's fuel-treatment desk runs three independent supply lines into Grotamar 82 — the manufacturer direct, an established Italian distributor and a Maltese chemicals partner. Three lines means stock availability across the Med rarely depends on a single chain, lead times shorten when one route is constrained, and bulk pricing is benchmarked across channels rather than taken from a single quote. The triangulation resolves three operational problems for our clients:
Vink Chemicals direct — Hamburg, Germany
Manufacturer-direct relationship with Vink Chemicals at source. Used for fleet-scale pricing, technical clarification on dosing matrices, MSDS / TDS documentation, and fuel-compatibility sign-off when a vessel is bunkering an unfamiliar grade.
Mansueto Marine — Sanremo, Italy
Italian Vink distribution channel — established stock holding for the Italian Riviera and wider Med. Used for vessels in transit through Italy or Greece, and as a parallel route when Malta or German lead times are longer than the operational window allows.
CEB Group — Malta
Local chemicals partner inside Malta — the closest physical stock to a vessel calling Valletta, Grand Harbour or Marsamxett, and the route used when same-day pickup or dispatch is needed. Coordinates with Mercer's Marsaskala warehouse for vessel-side delivery.
Grotamar 82 — Available Formats for Mediterranean Supply
The Vink Chemicals manufacturer line for Grotamar 82 is supplied in five formats: 200 ml, 1 L, 10 L, 200 L and 1000 L. Mercer's enquiry-driven channel covers the bulk formats — the working sizes for superyachts and Med-based fleets. The three smaller retail formats are stocked on our sister brand Ritz Marine for owner-operator and small-vessel buyers.
Why Grotamar 82 — Manufacturer Pedigree, Marine Specialisation, Regulatory Fit
Marine fuel treatment is one of those engine-room categories where the buyer's job, in effect, is to defend a decision in front of a class surveyor or after a tank-cleaning event. Cheap unbranded biocides leave gaps in the documentation chain — no manufacturer TDS, no MSDS, no fuel-compatibility profile, no traceability if a downstream filter fails or an injector clogs. Grotamar 82 is structurally inside the safe-harbour answer.
Marine-specific formulation
Grotamar 82 is formulated for middle-distillate marine fuels (MGO, MDO) and the FAME-blended low-sulphur grades introduced under IMO 2020. Manufacturer technical data covers fuel compatibility, dosing rates and storage stability — supplied with each consignment.
Documented chemistry
Each batch arrives with Vink Chemicals technical data sheet (TDS) and material safety data sheet (MSDS) — the documentation a Chief Engineer needs to record the treatment in the planned-maintenance system, and to defend the choice against a class survey or insurance audit if a fuel-related event ever occurs.
Used by commercial fleets
Vink's Grotamar line is run by commercial shipping operators and superyacht engineering departments across Europe — meaning a Chief Engineer specifying it isn't choosing an unfamiliar product. The same chemistry is in service in tank-farm, bunker-barge and shipping-fleet contexts.
Triangulated supply
Three Mercer supply lines (Vink direct, Mansueto Italy, CEB Malta) mean stock availability is rarely a single point of failure. For a fleet operating to a defined bunkering schedule, predictable supply matters as much as the chemistry itself.
Technical & Regulatory Context — Why Microbial Contamination Matters Now
The practical regulatory anchor points for marine fuel quality are ISO 8217 (Petroleum products — Fuels (class F) — Specifications of marine fuels), MARPOL Annex VI (the IMO sulphur regime — 0.5% global cap, 0.1% inside SOx Emission Control Areas), and ASTM D6469 (the standard guide for microbial contamination in fuels and fuel systems). For detection of microbial activity vessel-side, IP 385 is the test method most commonly run by partner labs.
The IMO 2020 sulphur transition pushed the global marine fleet onto FAME-blended low-sulphur fuels (B5, B7, B10 grades) — which carry more water in suspension and offer microorganisms a richer growth substrate than the high-sulphur HFO they replaced. The canonical "diesel bug" is Hormoconis resinae — a fungus that colonises the fuel/water interface in storage tanks — supported by sulphate-reducing bacteria that drive the corrosive secondary effects. Untreated, the result is biomass loading at the tank bottom, accelerated filter clogging, water-emulsion pickup at the suction strainer, and in worst cases pitted tank steel from microbially-induced corrosion (MIC).
For superyachts the operational pattern compounds the risk: long periods alongside, partial fuel rotation, charter cycles that blend new bunker with aged residual, and Mediterranean ambient temperatures that keep tank fuel inside the microbial growth band for most of the year. Preventive dosing with a manufacturer-formulated biocide like Grotamar 82 is meaningfully cheaper than the alternative — tank entry, polishing, filter-train replacement, fuel-system flush, and engine-side downtime that follows a contamination event. Mercer's 55-metre refit case study documents one such event where 180 ppm of water in fuel triggered a full fuel-system overhaul.
Full Fuel-Treatment Scope — What Mercer Supplies into the Med
- Grotamar 82 marine diesel biocide — 200 L drums (Vink Chemicals manufacturer formats)
- Grotamar 82 marine diesel biocide — 1000 L IBC totes for fleet and bunker-depot use
- Multi-vessel fleet supply contracts — single account, consolidated invoicing, scheduled dosing reminders
- Fuel-sample testing — microbial activity (ASTM D6469 / IP 385), water content (ASTM D1744), particulate count (ISO 4406)
- Pre-bunkering fuel quality verification — ISO 8217 spec confirmation against bunker delivery note
- Dosing programme design — preventive cadence vs shock-and-polish, calibrated to vessel particulars
- Vink Chemicals TDS & MSDS documentation — supplied with each consignment for engineering records
- Tank-bottom water-draw scheduling advice — operational guidance for fuel/water interface management
- Filter-train coordination — sourcing of primary, secondary and polishing-stage replacements through the wider Mercer engine-room desk
- Bunker dispute documentation support — sample chain-of-custody, lab certification, advisory if contamination is bunkered-in
- Charter conversion fuel audits — pre-season tank inspection and treatment programme for charter management companies
- Fleet treatment programmes for ship management companies — Malta, Sicily, Greece, mainland Italy, Côte d'Azur, Spain
- Coordinated freight — Med-wide delivery from the closest of three supply points to the vessel's port of call
- Engineering advisory — published Vink dosing matrices interpreted against vessel-specific tank architecture
How to Specify a Fuel-Treatment Brief
A short brief lets us return an itemised quote within 24 business hours:
Vessel particulars:
Vessel name, LOA, GT, flag — drives whether quote routes through commercial / charter / private channels
Tank capacity:
Total fuel storage volume in litres or cubic metres — drives dose calculation and packaging size choice
Fuel grade:
MGO, MDO, B5/B7/B10 FAME blend, or HFO — affects compatibility check and dose rate
Treatment goal:
Preventive (annual programme), shock-and-polish (active contamination), or charter-conversion audit
Operational window:
Required delivery date and port — drives Malta-stocked vs Italian-route vs German-direct routing
Delivery port & INCOTERMS:
Malta, Antibes, Palma, Genoa, Athens, Split, Sicily — Mercer's freight desk handles EU customs and onward delivery
Common Fuel-Treatment RFQs Mercer Handles for the Med
- Grotamar 82 — 200 L drum, single delivery to vessel alongside in Malta or Med port
- Grotamar 82 — 1000 L IBC, bunker-depot or fleet fuel-storage delivery
- Annual fleet preventive-dosing programme — multi-vessel, single account
- Shock dose + tank polish + filter replacement — post-contamination remediation
- Pre-season tank audit — fuel sample, lab analysis, dosing recommendation, Grotamar supply
- Pre-bunkering fuel quality verification — ISO 8217 spec check before fuel transfer
- Bunker-quality dispute support — sample chain-of-custody, lab analysis, advisory
- Charter conversion audit — vessel moving from private to commercial, pre-season fuel programme
- Multi-port fleet supply — vessels in transit, Grotamar 82 routed to closest of Malta / Sanremo / Hamburg
- Engineering advisory — dosing matrix interpretation for unfamiliar fuel grade or tank architecture
- FAME-blend fuel compatibility sign-off — confirmation of Grotamar 82 use with B5 / B7 / B10 grades
- Tank-cleaning project supply — Grotamar 82 dose for residual treatment after mechanical clean
- Bulk Vink Chemicals catalogue — Grotamar 71 / 82 / 89 alternatives where application differs
- Combined fuel-treatment + filter-separation outfit — coordinated through the Mercer engine-room desk
Marine Fuel Treatment in the Mediterranean — and Why Mercer Built a Dedicated Desk for It
Microbial contamination in marine fuel has shifted from an occasional engine-room nuisance to a structural problem of the post-IMO-2020 fuel landscape. The 0.5% sulphur cap pushed the commercial fleet onto FAME-blended low-sulphur grades; FAME carries water in suspension; water at the tank bottom feeds Hormoconis resinae and sulphate-reducing bacteria; the resulting biomass clogs filters, blocks injectors, and over time corrodes tank steel. The Mediterranean operating profile — long alongside periods, partial fuel rotation, ambient temperatures inside the microbial growth band — concentrates the risk for superyachts and Med-based charter fleets.
Treating it well requires three things together: the right chemistry (a marine-specific biocide formulated for middle-distillate fuels and FAME blends), the right operational programme (preventive dosing on a defined cadence, plus shock-and-polish capability when contamination is already established), and a documentation chain (TDS, MSDS, batch records, sample chain-of-custody) that survives a class survey, an insurance audit or a bunker dispute. Grotamar 82 from Vink Chemicals delivers the first; an engineering-led dosing programme delivers the second; Mercer's supply chain delivers the third — including manufacturer-direct documentation for every consignment.
Mercer Yachting's fuel-treatment desk operates as the Mediterranean supply layer between the German manufacturer and the vessel. Three independent supply lines — Vink Chemicals direct in Hamburg, Mansueto Marine in Sanremo, CEB Group in Malta — mean the answer to "when can it be alongside?" is rarely longer than 48-72 hours to the major Med ports. Technical advisory is bundled into every brief: the right Grotamar 82 dose against tank capacity, fuel grade and treatment goal, with the manufacturer dosing matrix interpreted against the vessel's specific operating pattern. For owner-operators and small-vessel buyers, the smaller Grotamar 82 retail formats (200 ml, 1 L, 10 L) are stocked on Mercer's sister brand Ritz Marine.
Delivery, Customs & Documentation
Mercer delivers Grotamar 82 to Malta and to all major Mediterranean ports — Antibes, Palma de Mallorca, Barcelona, Genoa, Sanremo, Athens, Split, Sicily — with worldwide air and sea freight to any nominated port, agent, or alongside where dangerous-goods rules permit. Each consignment arrives with Vink Chemicals technical data sheet, MSDS, batch records and dangerous-goods documentation appropriate to the transport mode. EU customs clearance for non-EU vessels is coordinated by Mercer's freight desk in conjunction with the Malta yacht agent. UN classification, packing group and IMDG class data are supplied at quotation stage so freight bookings can be planned ahead of the operational window.
Marine Fuel Treatment via Mercer — Frequently Asked Questions
Why Grotamar 82 specifically rather than a generic fuel additive?
Grotamar 82 is a manufacturer-formulated marine diesel biocide from Vink Chemicals, with a published technical data sheet, MSDS and fuel-compatibility profile across the FAME-blended low-sulphur fuels mandated under MARPOL Annex VI. The reason it matters operationally is the documentation chain — a Chief Engineer recording a fuel treatment in the planned-maintenance system, or defending the choice in a class survey or an insurance audit, needs a manufacturer-traceable product. Generic chandlery additives without that paperwork leave gaps if a downstream filter fails or an injector clogs.
What's the difference between preventive dosing and shock-and-polish?
Preventive dosing is a low-rate Grotamar 82 addition timed to the bunkering cycle — applied before microbial activity establishes, sized against tank capacity per the Vink Chemicals dosing matrix. Shock-and-polish is a higher-rate dose used when contamination is already present and visible (filter clogging, water-emulsion pickup, biomass at the tank bottom), usually combined with mechanical fuel polishing and filter-train replacement. The two regimes use the same chemistry at different rates. Mercer specs the right approach against vessel particulars and lab results before quoting.
What stock does Mercer hold in Malta versus ship in from Italy or Germany?
Mercer's Marsaskala warehouse holds working stock of Grotamar 82 in the bulk formats — 200 L drums for routine fleet supply. The 1000 L IBC totes and larger consolidated orders typically route through Mansueto Marine in Sanremo or Vink Chemicals direct in Hamburg, depending on lead time and pricing on the day. Three supply lines means we benchmark the routing against each RFQ rather than defaulting to one chain. We confirm stock status and ETA on every quote.
Can Mercer help with fuel sample testing before a treatment decision?
Yes — fuel sample coordination is bundled into the desk. We supply sample drawing kits, route the sample to a partner lab for ASTM D6469 / IP 385 microbial activity testing (and ASTM D1744 water content / ISO 4406 particulate count where useful), and return the result with a treatment recommendation. For bunker-quality disputes — where contamination may have been bunkered in rather than developed in tank — we run the chain-of-custody documentation needed for an insurance or supplier-side claim.
Is Grotamar 82 compatible with FAME-blended low-sulphur marine fuels?
Vink Chemicals publishes Grotamar 82 fuel compatibility against the FAME-blended grades (B5, B7, B10) introduced under the IMO 2020 sulphur regime. The technical data sheet and MSDS supplied with each consignment confirm the blend grades the chemistry is approved against. For unfamiliar grades or non-standard blends, Mercer can route a compatibility query through the manufacturer-direct relationship before quoting.
Does Mercer supply only Grotamar 82, or the wider Vink line?
Grotamar 82 is the workhorse for marine diesel. The wider Vink Chemicals line — including Grotamar 71 and Grotamar 89 — is available through the same supply lines for applications where the chemistry differs (heating oil, specific FAME concentrations, or industrial fuel-storage use cases). For a non-marine or non-distillate application, we route the technical question to Vink Chemicals before quoting.
Can a fleet operator set up a single account for multiple vessels?
Yes. The most common pattern is a charter management company or ship management group treating five-to-twenty vessels on a defined annual cadence — single Mercer account, scheduled dosing reminders against each vessel's bunkering cycle, consolidated quarterly invoicing, and Mercer-coordinated freight to whichever port each vessel is calling at. We size the framework against the fleet's operational pattern rather than vessel-by-vessel.
Why source through Mercer rather than direct from Vink Chemicals?
Two reasons. Freight, customs and documentation — Mercer's Marsaskala warehouse and freight desk are set up to clear chemicals into the EU and onto a vessel in Malta or any Med port, including dangerous-goods paperwork by transport mode (IMDG for sea, IATA for air, ADR for road). And vessel-specific specification — we read tank capacity, fuel grade, operational pattern and bunkering cycle against the Vink dosing matrix before quoting, rather than supplying a generic spec. For owners outside the Med, we can also route through whichever Vink supply line is closest to the vessel.
Technical Documentation & Primary References
Manufacturer documentation and primary regulatory / standards / peer-reviewed sources cited across our fuel-treatment programme. All links open in a new tab.
Vink Chemicals — Manufacturer
Standards & Test Methods
IMO & Regulatory
Industry Guidelines & Research
Engineering pillar covering biology, detection methods, treatment programmes and bunker-side controls in detail: Marine Fuel Microbial Contamination — A Superyacht Engineer's Guide.
Mercer Engine-Room Desk — Direct Contact
Skip the form when you already know what you need — call, WhatsApp or email the engine-room desk and we'll come back inside the same business day with stock status, lead time and a quote.
Phone: +356 79797962
WhatsApp: +356 79797962
Email: ops@merceryachting.com
Hours: Mon–Sat 05:00–21:00 CET
Warehouse: Marsaskala, Malta