2020 Sulphur Cap: Is the industry ready for the long-run?

There are a variety of solutions available including low sulphur fuel, scrubbers, and alternative fuels such as LNG, but there is no clear consensus in the industry on which is best for the long term.

The Sea Asia industry insights report, '2020 Sulphur Cap: Is the industry ready for the long-run?', available for free download below, sought the views of industry experts.

Launched ahead of the biennial Sea Asia conference and exhibition in 2019, and co-organised by UBM (Seatrade) and the Singapore Maritime Foundation (SMF), the report explores the long-term viability of the three main solutions.

Interviewed for the report Dragos Rauta, technical director at Intertanko, pointed out that even with less than 18 months to go before the new sulphur cap is enforced, there are still not many viable solutions for the long run.

"Other than clean fuel, I do not see many other potential long-term solutions that the industry can implement for the sulphur cap. Most of the solutions can work in the short-run but will not be sustainable,” he said.

"For example, the use of scrubbers will not last for more than 10 years because the high acidity of the wash-water is a challenge for the integrity of the installation. There will still be some impact on the environment that will not go unnoticed.”

Precious Shipping's managing director, Khalid Hashim, said the industry needed to look beyond the sulphur cap to targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from ships. "With the IMO already looking to reduce total greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50% by 2050, there is an opportunity for the industry to go back to the drawing board and see if there are innovative solutions that can be implemented to move the industry towards a zero carbon future.”