The 74th session of the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 74) took place on 13-17 May at IMO headquarters in London, with key environmental subjects on its agenda. ABS provided an overview of the progress made during the meeting.
MEPC 74 concluded on Friday with a comprehensive set of guidelines for the consistent implementation of the 2020 sulphur cap. IMO also approved draft amendments to MARPOL Annex VI relating to enforcement of the 0.50% sulphur limit.
NYK Cruises informed that the cruise ship Asuka II, the largest cruise vessel carrying the Japanese flag, will undergo works at the Sembcorp Marine Admiralty Yard in Singapore from the middle of January 2020, during which it will be retrofitted with a scrubber. Earlier during 2018, NYK Line had announced that it has secured a USD 80.65 million syndicated loan agreement with MUFG Bank Ltd., with the aim to install scrubbers.
According to Boston Consulting Group, IMO’s 2020 sulphur cap will lead to a one to five year disruption in oil and refined products markets. This switch could benefit refiners, producers of shale oil and would reduce prices of HSFO or bunker fuel with a maximum sulphur content of 3.5%.
The Japanese Shipping Company Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK), along with shipping and marine supplier Nippon Yuka Kogyo, a NYK Group company, presented a new fuel oil additive for low-sulphur compliant fuel-oil that meets SOx emission requirements.
Sadly, shipping appears in the news mostly when it comes to noisy debate issues and warnings, while casualties and/or major agreements are the topics that attract readers the most, generate clicks and get shared. Which are these topics though and why? In addition to casualties, regulations and cyber-security issues are among the most prevalent.
Caribbean-based energy provider Sol Petroleum announced a new offshore bunkering facility off the shores of Trinidad and Grenada to supply vessels in the region with IMO 2020 compliant fuels. The announcement comes as the industry is dependent on reliable fuel supply to protect marine environment.
As Torm is preparing for IMO 2020 compliance, it informed that it has adopted a balanced approach, and it has committed to scrubber installations on 34 vessels. This number amounts to about half of Torm’s fleet. 32 scrubbers are expected to be installed in 2019 and two in the first quarter of 2020, including the delivery of one newbuilding.
A platform introduced by DNV GL provides the industry with the possibility of evaluating the uptake of alternative fuels and technologies. This comes as the IMO’s 2020 sulphur cap and the recently-adopted ambition to halve GHG emission by 2050 mean the industry should make a shift towards more environmentally-friendly solutions.
North P&I Club has updated its guidance on the 2020 Sulphur Cap for operators. This aims to help them prepare for the big switch to compliance on 1 January 2020. After a programme of events, training sessions and publications which have been taking place over the past 12 months, North published three new guides to ensure safe and compliant operations.
