Brittany Ferries: Jan 1 ECA Deadline Too Early for Equivalent Methods of Compliance

Christophe Mathieu, Deputy Managing Director, Brittany Ferries

Brittany Ferries says the decision to bring new Emissions Control Area (ECA) regulations into force on January 1, 2015 was made without considering their full impact on the industry, and the timing will leave it with no choice but to switch to more expensive MGO fuel as equivalent methods of compliance are only now becoming viable.

"It's still very puzzling and irritating to see that we are being forced into a date with no real look back at all the consequences," said Christophe Mathieu, Deputy Managing Director, Brittany Ferries who was speaking last week at the 39th Annual Interferry Conference in Vancouver, Canada.

"I believe we should heave been given a couple of years for those that are actively engaging into retrofitting a compliant method beyond MGO."

"I think it would have been the right way because by amending a bit the calendar, by having a more rational approach, then we could have mitigated economy and ecology. At the moment we are really looking at one way, one date, it doesn't matter the consequence."

Brittany Ferries says it is actively looking at mitigating the cost of compliance both by retrofitting vessels with scrubbers, and using Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) bunkers.

However Mathieu argues that such technologies are only just reaching maturity.

"If you go back in time we were told go towards scrubbers, yes, but scrubbers were not ready at the time. They are just about to get ready and we are three months before [the new rules come into force]," he said.

"And when you talk of LNG we all know the syndrome of the chicken and egg."

"So it's all happening, but at the same time I think there is a time of two years where those two years could have been used to finalise the job rather than sticking to the 1st of January at any cost and see what happens."

Currently all vessels operating within ECAs must use a marine fuel with a sulfur content that does not exceed 1.00 percent by weight, a limit that on January 1, 2015 drops to 0.10 percent.

In December 2013 Brittany Ferries announced it was building the world's largest LNG powered ferry as part of its plans to improve its fleet's environmental footprint.

The next annual Interferry conference takes place in Copenhagen from October 3-8 2015.