The Sulphur Directive comes into force on 1 January 2015 and requires that within Sulphur Emission Control Areas (SECAs), ships must use bunker fuels with a sulphur content below 0.1%, or use abatement methods to comply with the sulphur cap.
The European SECA includes the English Channel, North Sea and the Baltic Sea.
In an open letter signed by the secretary general of ECSA, Patrick Verhoeven, the association asks that compliance be monitored through delivery notes and that sampling of fuel should only be used where there is evidence of non-compliance.
ECSA is concerned that marginal deviations in sulphur emissions, contamination during fuel switching and technical operational issues might lead shipowners to face penalties, despite acting in good faith and striving to comply.
"European shipowners, represented through ECSA, are committed to fully comply with the requirements of the Sulphur Directive and with the corresponding requirements of MARPOL Annex VI," Verhoeven stated. "However, in order to comply, we urge Member States and the Commission to clarify without any further delay how they intend to apply and harmonise enforcement policies."
The association's letter comes on the deadline for EU Member States to transpose the directive into their national legislation.
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