IMO Sets 2020 Date for 0.5% Global Sulphur Cap

IMO The implementation date for the 0.5% global sulphur cap is set for 2020, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Marine Environment Protection Committee decided at its 70th session in London this week. In 2008, the IMO unanimously adopted the global sulphur cap requiring all ships to use fuels with a maximum 0.5% sulphur content as of January 1, 2020. The 2020 implementation date was made dependent on the results of a study to determine whether sufficient low sulphur fuel would be available then. That study, commissioned by the IMO and published last August, shows that under all scenarios and sensitivity options considered, there will be sufficient clean fuel available in 2020. Earlier in October, the international shipping association BIMCO raised concerns over data on available fuel ahead of the decision on the global sulphur cap implementation date. Namely, BIMCO said that the official International Maritime Organization (IMO) study which assessed the relevant availability of fuel oil has failed to fully address the IMO’s terms of reference in several critical areas. The association added that it is not possible to determine that the global refining industry will have the capacity to produce enough marine fuel by 2020. World Maritime News Staff