With the IMO 2020 sulphur cap now in force as of 1 January 2020, the shipping industry faces a new set of issues, says an article published in The Standard Club website.
Carriage ban of non-compliant fuel oil
The carriage ban of non-compliant fuel oil is on the horizon from 1 March 2020.
Ships not fitted with scrubbers will not be permitted to carry fuel over the 0.50% m/m limit.
Dispose remaining HSFO
Members with ships without scrubbers and having HSFO remaining onboard are faced with a question of how to dispose of it before this date.
De-bunkering of non-compliant fuel
Onboard blending
The below has triggered queries from some of the club’s members:
- the cost of de-bunkering operation and
- potential loss of value of HSFO
The major query is as to whether onboard blending of the non-compliant fuel is permitted to achieve compliance with the regulation.
BIMCO’s interpretation
For such situations, the club directs its members to BIMCO’s interpretation on regulatory aspects. It also suggests to refer to the ship’s Flag State for issuance of an equivalence in accordance with regulation 4.1 of MARPOL Annex VI.
For further details on the subject, members are recommended to refer to BIMCO’s website.
Compatibility
There could also be compatibility issues when blending fuels on board, details of which were included in the club’s article published in October 2019.
Did you subscribe to our daily newsletter?
It’s Free! Click here to Subscribe!
Source: The Standard Club
