No Role for Bunker Suppliers in Monitoring and Enforcing IMO 2020 Compliance: Bunker One

by Ship & Bunker News Team
Monday July 9, 2018

Bunker suppliers should not be expected to play a role in monitoring and enforcing IMO 2020 compliance, says Peter Zachariassen, Global Director Physical of Bunker One.

"Bunker One believes that the suppliers should be focused on making sure they provide the fuels that customers are ordering within the specifications outlined in their contracts."

When the new global 0.50% sulfur cap on marine fuel comes into force on January 1, 2020, the vast majority of vessels are expected to switch to low sulfur distillates for compliance. A range of compliant VLSFO blends are also expected to emerge on the market, although as Zachariassen notes, there will be no official ISO specifications for such fuels until late 2020 or early 2021.

A growing number of vessels fitted with scrubbers will be able to continue to burn the same HSFO bunkers they do today, as the technology allows them to achieve an equivalent method of compliance.

"In summary, we believe that the monitoring and enforcement of the IMO specification should be left to the resources or authorities identified within the flag states. Suppliers and ship owners should be focusing on their core activities and make sure to follow agreed procedures or policies in support of strengthening compliance to the new specifications," he says.

"There is no question that there is a potential for non-compliance to take place. Most of the recent estimates forecast the level of non-compliance to be around 10%."