Sponsored By

53% of owners/operators not ready for compliance with sulphur cap

With the deadline for the 0.5% global sulphur cap less than 19 months away and informal poll of shipowners and operators by classification society ABS found that 53% of owners and operators fleets were not ready to meet the regulation.

Marcus Hand, Editor

June 8, 2018

1 Min Read
Kalyakan - stock.adobe.com

ssuing an advisory on marine fuel oil ahead of the 2020 sulphur cap ABS said it was vital owners consider the available options and the impacts on their fleet as the deadline for compliance approcahed. Underscoring the urgency of this need an informal survey by the class society found 53% of owners and operators said they had yet to get the fleets ready for compliance.

“The IMO 2020 sulfur cap requirement will introduce a significant demand change from heavy fuel to low sulfur fuel almost overnight. The industry currently is debating how to prepare as the consequences of this shift are difficult to predict," said Kirsi Tikka, ABS executive vice president and senior maritime advisor.

“The ABS Advisory addresses concerns about the safety impacts and quality of the new blended and hybrid fuels that are currently not covered by the ISO fuel standard, and provides guidance on fuel selection, modification considerations and operational challenges.”

Options to comply with IMO's 0.5% sulphur cap which comes into force on 1 January 2020 include, alternative fuels such as LNG, fitting scrubbers and burning low sulphur fuels. As the deadline approaches both LNG as a fuel and scrubbers seem to be gaining more traction despite the investments required.

Read More: Scrubbers shown a little bit of love for large sized vessels

LNG set to be the dominant marine fuel in the future

About the Author

Marcus Hand

Editor

Marcus Hand is the editor of Seatrade Maritime News and a dedicated maritime journalist with over two decades of experience covering the shipping industry in Asia.

Marcus is also an experienced industry commentator and has chaired many conferences and round tables. Before joining Seatrade at the beginning of 2010, Marcus worked for the shipping industry journal Lloyd's List for a decade and before that the Singapore Business Times covering shipping and aviation.

In November 2022, Marcus was announced as a member of the Board of Advisors to the Singapore Journal of Maritime Talent and Technology (SJMTT) to help bring together thought leadership around the key areas of talent and technology.

Marcus is the founder of the Seatrade Maritime Podcast that delivers commentary, opinions and conversations on shipping's most important topics.

Conferences & Webinars

Marcus Hand regularly moderates at international maritime events. Below you’ll find a list of selected past conferences and webinars.

Get the latest maritime news, analysis and more delivered to your inbox
Join 12,000+ members of the maritime community

You May Also Like