Seatrade Maritime is part of the Informa Markets Division of Informa PLC

This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them. Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. Number 8860726.

ClassNK supports IMO 2020 with sulphur cap guidance

7b1526d6e819885afcb6582c52d94f30
Japan’s ClassNK has come out in support of the IMO 2020 regulation by developing a guidance on the use of 0.5% fuels and a sample implementation plan for switching to compliant fuels.

ClassNK said it has developed the ‘Guidance for onboard use of compliant fuel oil with SOx regulation from 2020’, underscoring the classification society’s support and provision of related services for the upcoming 2020 fuel sulphur cap.

“Compliant fuel oil is anticipated to include more low sulphur blend stocks than ever before in addition to light distillates. ClassNK has identified five properties of compliant fuel oil that should be taken into consideration with its use: compatibility, low viscosity, cold flow properties, cat fines, and ignition/combustion quality,” ClassNK stated.

The ClassNK guidance explains the basic characteristics of each property, and the potential safety implications associated with them.

ClassNK has also provided a sample of ‘Ship implementation plan’ that shows how ships can prepare for the 0.5% sulphur cap. The ship implementation plans include the items listed in MEPC.1/Circ.878. Additionally, it provides other appraisals tailored to individual client needs for confirming facts such as whether a fuel tank has been cleaned before switching to compliant fuel oil.

From 1 January 2020, all oceangoing ships are required to burn bunker fuels with a maximum sulphur content of 0.5%, down from the current limit of 3.5%, under IMO’s Marpol Annex VI regulations.

Read more: IMO 2020 - A timeline for change over to compliant fuel