Following the enforcement of the IMO’s 2020 sulphur cap, China has already caught two ships for low sulphur violations in its waters; Yet, Standard Club reports that the authorities have not made clear whether they will fine the ships as the result of the infractions.
Accordingly, the Club informed that it received reports of the incident about two separate ships in Chinese waters that have been found to be using non-compliant fuel.
Namely, the first ship was under a port state control inspection in Qingdao China when the Chinese Maritime Safety Administration (MSA) verified the use of fuel oil with a sulphur content of .6777% mm.
Similarly, the second vessel was berthed in Xiamen when it was observed by the MSA burning non-compliant fuel; The vessel was berthed for about six days, after switching to compliant fuel. Yet, there was a possibility that the high sulphur fuel residue remained in the engine fuel system, which will lead to emissions over the China ECA limit. Consequently, the Chinese authorities ordered the vessel to take effective measures to purify the fuel system.
The Club noted it was unclear whether the Chinese authorities would fine the vessels involved. They can be fined no less than RMB10,000 ($1,445) up to a maximum of RMB100,000 under Chinese regulations.
Overall, China has decided that the MSA will be responsible of infractions, according to China’s Atmospheric Pollution Prevention and Control Law.
