Clyde & Co: ECA Compliance Better than Expected

by Ship & Bunker News Team
Wednesday April 22, 2015

A report released by Clyde & Co LLP (Clyde & Co), which examines compliance with stricter Emissions Control Area (ECA) rules, has concluded that compliance has been better than expected.

In particular, Clyde & Co noted that The Waterways Police in Hamburg report that there has been a "surprisingly high level of compliance."

Since January 1, 2015, all vessels operating in a designated ECA are required to use to use fuel oil with a sulfur content no greater than 0.10 percent.

ECAs include the Baltic Sea, the North Sea, the English Channel, and an area essentially covering 200 nautical miles off the coast of the USA and Canada.

The report also explains that the US Coast Guard (USCG) has experienced problems with compliance efforts for the new rules, citing "several reported incidents involving substantial machinery space fuel leakages while vessels were switching fuel oil to ensure compliance."

The USCG, according to Clyde and Co, has also cited a number of instances of loss of propulsion (LOP) in different ports also associated with the changeover process to ECA compliant fuels.

On March 5, 2015, USCG issued a safety alert on fuel switching for compliance with the MARPOL Annex VI regulations.

Ship & Bunker News Team
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