Asia/Pacific News
China's Yangtze River Delta ECA to Come into Force This April
China's Ministry of Transport has announced that new Emission Control Area (ECA) rules will become compulsory at Yangtze River Delta core ports beginning April 2016, including Shanghai, Zhoushan, Ningbo, Suzhou, Zhanjiagang, and Nantong.
Beginning April 1, 2016 ships at berth in affected ports must use fuel with a sulfur content of no more than 0.5 percent., except during the first hour after arrival and the last hour before departure.
The ministry says it will assess the implementation of the ECA regulation over the next three years in order to determine if the sulfur content requirement for bunkers used within the area should be adjusted to a maximum of 0.1 percent.
As Ship & Bunker previously reported, in December 2015 the Chinese Government announced the establishment of the first Asian ECAs within its waters, putting a 0.5 percent sulfur content cap on bunkers used within the zones.
In December, Ship & Bunker reported that vessels found to be in breach of China's new ECA rules will be fined between RMB10,000 and RMB100,000 ($1,550 to $15,500).
