I saw that too Jaba. I imagine that that was specifically put in there to clarify that this was not a case of the wrong fuel.
Of course I could be wrong but it does make sense.
For the ATCOs: What is the SOP for this scenario with respect to altitudes? If the pilot's not declared a PAN or MAYDAY do you still have to direct a descent if otherwise required (i.e. airspace you've no control over or priority traffic). (I say priority traffic as no emergency was declared in the case of my question.)
Anyway, lesson learnt. With a loss of performance maintain what you've got. Maybe an exception would be in IMC and upon spotting a hole good enough for a visual approach.
FRQ CB