Asia/Pacific News
Bunker Traders Welcome China ECA Regs Clarification
Local bunker traders Wednesday have welcomed clarification from Shanghai's Maritime Safety Administration (MSA) on the implementation and enforcement of the Yangtze River Delta's new Emission Control Area (ECA) regulations in Shanghai, which came into force on April 1, 2016.
As Ship & Bunker reported last week, updated information from the Shanghai MSA clarified, among other things, that "Berthing in Shanghai Port" is defined as "the period of time when the ship is firmly fastened to a bollard until all the cables of the ship are untied, which excludes anchoring and tying to buoys by the ship."
Traders say the clarified requirements make the new ECA regulations easier to follow.
"It is easy to follow this way, but it's not a big issue as customers are already prepared for the regulations and switching over to use low sulfur marine gasoil when they are berthed at ports in China," a trader was quoted by Platts as saying.
At the beginning of February, Ship & Bunker reported that China's Ministry of Transport had announced that ECA rules would become compulsory at Yangtze River Delta core ports beginning April 2016, including Shanghai, Zhoushan, Ningbo, Suzhou, Zhanjiagang, and Nantong.
It would also appear the authorities are taking the new regulations seriously.
Last week Ship & Bunker reported that, while the region's new ECA rules had only been in effect for two weeks, penalty notices for violations had already been issued.
