Five international shipping companies have recently been reported to the Danish Ministry of Environment and Food for flouting regulations that relate to the levels of sulfur in fuel used by ships.
The ship’s fuel samples were collected and tested and found that the Sulfur content in them far exceeded the permissible levels, anywhere from 20 percent in excess of the set limit to nine times over the limit.
With the EU recently approving an initiative to better control maritime pollution, the government is poised to crack down on ships that don’t live up to the sulphur standards in Danish waters.
The environment minister, Kirsten Brosbøl, is elated over the EU decision, and as part of the ‘Clean air for the Danes’ package, the government has set aside 7 million kroner to tighten the control of maritime polluters.
“The economic incentive for cheating is large,” said environmental and food minister Esben Lunde Larsen in a press release.
“Therefore, we have reinforced the control of sulfur in ship fuel.”
Since new regulations were implemented in January 2015, ships sailing in the North and Baltic seas must use fuel containing 90 percent less sulfur than stipulated previously.
The acceptable level of sulfur in fuel is tightly regulated by the ministry in an effort to prevent excessive air pollution. The Ministry has now reported the matter to the police.
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Source: The Copenhagen Post
