FSA says Philippines domestic owners not ready for IMO 2020

FSA chairman and president Dario Alampay said the main problem that domestic shipowners will face is that the local oil companies are not ready to supply the compliant bunkers of 0.5% sulphur content, the local media reported.

“I sit with the Marina board. Knowing that oil companies in the Philippines will not be ready to have this compliant fuel. I told Marina to ask the IMO to give us allowance to comply with it,” Alampay was quoted saying.

“If we import, there are resources available. That’s what oil companies supplying bunker fuel will do, eventually, if Marina would say they should comply, otherwise it will impose penalties,” he added.

For shipowners operating vessels on international routes, they can meet the IMO 2020 rule by sourcing the compliant fuels from international ports in Singapore, Japan, South Korea, and China in the Asian region.

The Philippines is a signatory to IMO’s Marpol Annex VI convention for the prevention of pollution from ships.

“If for a considerable length of time, Philippines cannot implement it in the domestic shipping, the IMO may cite Philippines as a non-complying nation because the convention covers both ships in the domestic trade and overseas trade,” Alampay said.

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Filipino Shipowners Association says domestic owners not ready for IMO 2020