The P&I Association in UK has recently seen a number of claims or potential claims for fines imposed on Members as a result of a breach or alleged breach of Marpol Annex VI Regulations.
The reminder is for the update that got into action from 1 January 2015. The update states that, ships trading in designated emission control areas (ECAs) must not use fuel oil on board with a sulphur content exceeding 0.10%. ECAs currently cover the North Sea, Baltic Sea, North American coastline and US Caribbean. Outside the ECAs, with a few exceptions, the worldwide sulphur cap on fuel oil is set at 3.5%, save for passenger ships for which the cap is 1.5%. Following are the exceptions to the general rule.
Summary of current MARPOL limits:
Outside ECAs |
Within ECAs |
|
SOx |
3.5%m/m (since 1/01/2012) |
1.0%m/m since 01/07/2010 (0.1% on and after 01/01/2015) |
NOx |
Three Tier Scheme |
Tier III (Only for North America ECA and US Caribbean Sea ECA) |
The latest sulphur inspection guidance published by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) can be found here at.
Source: UK P&I