OMV Petrom upgrades refinery to produce 0.5% sulphur fuels

Energy firm OMV Petrom invested EUR3m ($3.2m) to upgrade the Petrobrazi refinery for it to produce the low sulphur bunker grade.

“The new marine fuel oil obtained at the Petrobrazi refinery has only up to 0.5% sulphur content, in line with the IMO global sulphur limit applicable to the shipping industry starting from this year,” OMV Petrom stated.

The Petrobrazi refinery will be producing at least 70,000 tonnes of 0.5% bunker fuel annually, relieving a Romanian market that was heavily reliant on imports.

“OMV Petrom supports the maritime transport industry with a sustainable solution, both economically, as well as from the perspective of environmental protection. According to IMO, by limiting the sulphur content in ships’ fuel oil to 0.5%, an annual 77% drop in sulphur emissions can be achieved, which means 8.5m metric tonnes of sulphur per year globally. This has a positive impact on the quality of life in the communities of the port and coastal cities,” OMV Petrom said.

The IMO has enforced the use of bunker fuels with a maximum sulphur content of 0.5% starting this year, down from the previous sulphur content cap of 3.5%.