No Scrubbers Wastewater, No HSFO in Chinese Waters

July 29, 2019

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According to an article published in Splash 247, China’s Ministry of Transport has issued a draft plan for measures to deal with the 2020 IMO sulphur cap, five months before the implementation of the regulation.

What’s new?

The Maritime Safety Administration (MSA) said in the draft dated July 22 that it plans to extend the ban to all coastal regions within 12 nautical miles (22.22 km) from the baseline of China’s territorial sea and regions near the southern island province of Hainan, reports Reuters
The new regulation will come into effect from Jan. 1, 2020, when a 0.5% sulphur content cap in shipping fuel set by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) kicks in.
“The restriction is in line with China’s war against pollution and is part of obligations of the international convention China concluded,” the MSA said.
Banning open-loop scrubbers means shippers will have to switch to a closed-loop scrubbers system or to use low-sulphur bunker fuels.
The MSA also plans to ban ships using marine fuels with a sulphur content of more than 0.5% from entering Chinese jurisdiction of sea regions from 2020, and ships using fuel with a sulphur content of more than 0.1% will be banned from entering the Yangtze and Xijiang river regions from 2022.
It will also ban vessels carrying fuel oil with a sulphur content of more than 0.5% from entering Chinese water from March 1, 2020.
The draft will be open for public feedback until Aug. 22.

Only 0.5% Sulphur Fuel

Under the plan, from January 1 2020, the ministry will request international ships to use fuel oil with no more than 0.5% sulphur content for sailing in Chinese controlled waters and use fuel oil with no more than 0.1% sulphur content when sailing on China’s inland rivers and Hainan waters.