According to an article published in BIMCO, from 1 March 2020, not only the use of fuel oil with a sulphur content exceeding 0.50% will be prohibited.
Ban on fuel
Even carrying fuel oil intended for use onboard that ship, with a sulphur content exceeding 0.50%, will be prohibited, unless the ship is equipped with a certified equivalent such as an exhaust gas cleaning system (scrubber).
Yet, from 1 January 2020 (when the IMO 0.50% sulphur regulation takes effect), some ships may have non-compliant fuel left onboard which will then have to be disposed of before 1 March.
Blending of non-compliant fuel
This situation has prompted some members to ask whether it will be possible to blend the non-compliant fuel onboard in order to achieve compliance and thereby avoid the very costly process of de-bunkering and potential loss of value of the non-compliant fuel oil.
Going forward
Ships are also at risk of receiving fuel oil that, in contradiction with what is stated on the Bunker Delivery Note (BDN), turn out to be non-compliant. In such situations, onboard blending could in some cases be an advantageous alternative to de-bunkering.
The regulatory barrier hindering onboard blending is found in regulation 18.5 and 18.6 of MARPOL Annex VI since the Bunker Delivery Note (BDN) is the legal proof of the sulphur content of the fuel oil delivered to a ship.
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Source: BIMCO
