ICS "Disappointed" Low-Sulfur Survey Won't Start Sooner

by Ship & Bunker News Team
Thursday October 4, 2012

The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) said Wednesday it was disappointed that the International Maritime Organisation rejected its call for a quick start to a survey studying the availability of low-sulfur fuel.

The study would assess the feasibility of compliance with new sulfur emissions regulations under the new MARPOL Annex VI regime and the cost to ships to switch to the lower-sulfur fuel.

"Some governments still appear to have their heads in the sand with respect to fuel availability," ICS Secretary General Peter Hinchliffe said.

"What will be the impact of ships switching to distillate on the availability of diesel for road transport or heating oil for homes?"

The European Union (EU) has decided that it will implement the 0.5 percent sulfur limit in 2020 even if the IMO study results suggest a need to postpone it until 2025, so the ICS said it's crucial to make sure the industry is prepared.

"The major refinery upgrading required could take a minimum of four or five years, perhaps longer, and we believe that completing the study in 2018 would simply be too late," Hinchliffe said.

The United States led the opposition to accelerating the study, while China and some EU member states supported the measure.

The EU vote last month confirmed a hard deadline of 2020 for a general limit of 0.5 percent sulfur by weight in marine fuel and 2015 for a limit of 0.1 percent in Emissions Control Areas.

Ship & Bunker News Team
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