New Chinese ECAs: Shanghai Considering Voluntary Sulfur Regs in 2016

Huatai Insurance says that only the Port of Shanghai is considering adopting the newly approved Chinese ECA regulations in 2016.

The Swedish Club Thursday published a circular authored by Huatai Insurance Agency & Consultant Service Ltd. (Hutai Insurance) that gives further details on China's recently approved Emissions Control Areas (ECAs), and notes that Shanghai is the only affected port currently considering voluntary bunker regulations ahead of the mandatory introduction of at-berth regs on January 1, 2017.

As Ship & Bunker previously reported, beginning January 1, 2017 all ships calling at the core ports within China's new ECAs will be required to use fuel with no more than a 0.5 percent sulfur content while at berth, except during the first hour after arrival and the last hour before departure.

"Having checked with the key ports in the ECAs, we understand that most of the port authorities don't have the intention to adopt higher requirement than the current standard in 2016, except Shanghai," said Huatai Insurance.

"We understand that it is likely Shanghai MSA will start to require the calling ships to use fuel with sulfur content ≤ 0.5 percent m/m during berthing excluding 1 hour after berthing and 1 hour before departure in 2016, however an accurate timetable is still under consideration now."

As Ship & Bunker reported earlier, the ECAs will cover the Pearl River Delta (PRD), Yangtze River Delta (YRD), and Bohai Bay regions, and the circular released by the insurance company also includes the specific geographic boundaries covered under the regulations.

Earlier in December, Ship & Bunker reported that the Chinese Government will establish Asia's first ECAs within its waters, putting a 0.5 percent sulfur content cap on bunkers used within the zones from January 1, 2019, the first such zones in waters outside of Europe and North America.