To support the implementation of the 2020 sulphur cap, the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) ban on the carriage on non-compliant fuel oil entered force on March 1.

The MARPOL amendment prohibits the carriage of non-compliant fuel oil for combustion purposes for propulsion or operation on board a ship - unless the ship has an approved exhaust gas cleaning system (scrubber) fitted.

It is hoped that the carriage ban will support the implementation of the 0.5 percent sulphur cap, which came into effect on January 1, 2020.

The Clean Shipping Alliance (CSA) 2020 recently held a technical seminar to discuss the installation and performance of its members’ exhaust gas cleaning systems (EGCS). A shipowner panel comprising Grimaldi Group, Genco Shipping and Trading, and Spliethoff reportedly informed delegates that, despite initial installation problems, there had been little by way of mechanical breakdown, corrosion or non-compliant operation.

According to CSA 2020, all panel members said that their EGCS installations were removing substantially more sulphur emissions than the 0.5 percent required to comply with the global sulphur cap.

www.imo.org