From 1st March 2020, carriage ban on non-compliant fuel oil enters into force. This means that vessels can no longer carry non-compliant fuel on-board unless fuel oil being carried as cargo. Additionally, the carriage ban does not apply to vessels fitted with operational scrubbers.
Any non-compliant fuel remaining on-board must be removed from the vessel’s fuel tanks failing which there will be a non-compliance even if such fuel was not intended to be used for consumption. If non-complaint fuel remains on board after 1st March, it is advisable to follow MEPC.1/Circ.881 as per port state control authorities or/and flag state recommendations.
In designated emission control areas, the maximum sulphur limit in fuel oil is 0.10 % (the Baltic Sea area, the North Sea area, the North American area and the United States Caribbean Sea area).
Port state control authorities will begin to enforce the IMO’s Sulphur 2020 from 1st March and vessels found to be non-compliance face the prospect of detention.
Source: http://www.imo.org
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