EMEA News
Five Shipping Firms Reported in Denmark After Bunker Samples Show ECA Violations
The Danish Ministry of Environment and Food says five shipping companies have been found to be in violation of emission control area (ECA) sulfur limits, Danish media reports.
The companies in question were not named.
Samples taken by the Danish Maritime Authority on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency are reported to have shown that fuel used by the vessels contained levels of sulfur between 20 percent and nine times above the 0.10 percent limit - suggesting the sulfur levels ranged between 0.12 percent and 0.90 percent.
By comparison, the typical average sulfur content of cheaper, non-compliant HFO is 2.7 percent sulfur.
Still, the ministry expressed concern over financial benefits that may be gained by companies not complying with the ECA regulations.
"The economic incentive for cheating is large," Esben Lunde Larsen, environmental and food minister, said in a press release.
"Therefore, we have reinforced the control of sulfur in ship fuel."
The vessels found to be in non-compliance with ECA regulations are said to have been reported to the police, with relevant authorities set to now proceed with investigations into the reports.
Danish authorities say they have processed over 200 bunker samples since January 2015.
In October, Ship & Bunker reported that data presented by Sara Rokpe, head of department at the Danish Environmental Protection Agency, indicated the majority of vessels not complying with the latest European ECA fuel rules were unlikely to be getting much financial gain.
