ExxonMobil: "No One Solution" for Shipowners in the Face of Tightening Emissions Regs

Iain White, of ExxonMobil, says shipowners will have to find the compliance solution that works for them.

Iain White, Global marketing manager at ExxonMobil Marine (ExxonMobil), says there is "no one solution for shipowners" when it comes to meeting tighter International Maritime Organization (IMO) emission regulations, Seatrade Maritime reports.

As Ship & Bunker has previously reported, with the maritime and bunker industries eagerly awaiting a decision on whether a 0.50 percent global sulfur cap for bunkers will come into force in 2020 or 2025, many are now said to believe that the 2020 date is the more likely of the two.

White notes that other regulations, such as the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI), the Tier III emission limit for NOx emissions, and emission control areas (ECAs), have contributed to complexity across operator engine requirements.

"It will be a multi-fuel role in the future," White told Seatrade Maritime News, adding: "all the different options will be assessed by different owners and they will have to choose one that they consider the most cost effective."

"The more complex situation of today is no longer as simple like in the past where owners only need to look to the oil producers to supply what they need."

White suggests that, while liquefied natural gas (LNG) will be an important part of the future's fuel mix, it will not provide a complete solution for the shipping industry, as the required infrastructure, regulation, and supply still need considerable development.

In addition to various fuel choices, shipowners may also utilise exhaust scrubbers to meet regulations, notes White.

To further complicate shipowners' operational choices in the face of tightening regulations, White notes that different specifications of cylinder oils will need to be designed for different operating conditions in order to ensure fuel types and engine operating requirements.

"If the decision is 2020, it will be a big challenge for the shipping industry. If it is 2025 then it would be more manageable," White added of the possible implementation dates for a 0.5 percent global sulfur cap.

In June, Ship & Bunker reported that a study undertaken by CE Delft on behalf of IMO found that there are no major barriers to producing enough compliant bunkers to meet such a cap by 2020.

However, in August, it was reported that an independent fuel availability analysis for the upcoming global bunker sulfur cap of 0.5 percent had found that if it comes into effect in 2020, refiners could have "extreme difficulty" in meeting demand for low sulfur fuels.