Asia/Pacific News
Violators of New Hong Kong Low Sulfur Regs Face $200,000 Fine, 6 Months Imprisonment for Non-Compliance
Vessel masters and owners who fail to comply with a new low sulfur regulation in Hong Kong face a maximum fine of $200,000 and imprisonment for six months, Lloyd's Register has warned in a statement issued by Swedish Club.
The new at-berth low-sulfur regulation for ocean-going vessels (OGVs), known as the Air Pollution Control (Ocean Going Vessels) (Fuel at Berth) Regulation (Cap. 311AA), comes into force on July 1, 2015, and will apply to any moored or anchored OGV at any berth in Hong Kong waters, excluding the first hour after the vessel's arrival and the last hour before its departure.
The new regulation will require OGVs to use compliant fuels while operating main engines (except when used for the propulsion of the vessel), auxiliary engines, boilers, or generators.
Compliant fuels are identified under the regulation as any low-sulfur fuel with a sulfur content not exceeding 0.5 percent by weight, liquefied natural gas (LNG), or any other fuel approved by the Hong Kong authority.
Operators will also be required to record the date and time of fuel switching and keep the records for three years.
Failure to keep the required records will be punishable to a maximum fine of $50,000 and imprisonment for three months.
An OGV may be exempt from fuel switching at a berth in Hong Kong if it uses technology that can achieve the same or less SO2 emissions as compliant fuel.
Hong Kong as been encouraging operators to switch to low sulfer fuel while at berth since 2012, when it introduced an incentive scheme offering discounts on port fees.
Despite the shift policy from incentivised practice to mandatory requirement, on Monday Ship & Bunker reported that the Government of Hong Kong says a new 30 month extension to its low sulfur fuel switching incentive scheme will "help the shipping industry cope with the increased operating costs of the fuel switch during the transitional period".
