The second step is completed: ships without desulfurization equipment are banned from carrying high-sulphur oil

  The International Maritime Organization (IMO) on Friday approved an amendment to ban high-sulphur oils from ships without desulfurization devices from 2020

From 2020, the global sulfur limit of 0.5 percent will be implemented, and the sulfur content of ship fuel will be limited to 0.5 percent. If ships have been fitted with sulphur removal devices such as scrubbers to control sulphur emissions from fuel combustion, ships can still use high-sulphur oils.

An amendment to the MARPOL Convention (MARPOL) bylaw Ⅵ, adopted on Friday, would ban ships without a desulfurization installation from carrying fuel oil above the sulphur limit, although any ship can transport high-sulphur oil if it is cargo.

The amendment is the second step in the passage of a bill banning ships from carrying high-sulphur oil. In October this year, the IMO meeting will carry out the final review.

According to the shipping network previously reported, from February 5 to February 9, the IMO Pollution Prevention and Response Sub-Committee meeting, global sulfur emissions control by 2020 became the top topic of the meeting. The IMO member states agreed to submit a proposal to the Committee on Marine Environmental Protection (MEPC) that would ban from 2020 the carrying of fuels with sulphur content of more than 0.5 per cent on ships unless they are equipped with an exhaust disposal plant or are fuelled by LNG.

At present, the bill is under discussion and will be included as a matter of urgency at the MEPC meeting in April this year. If passed, the bill may be adopted at the MEPC73 meeting in October this year. If all goes well, the new rules will come into force on March 1, 2020, two months later than the global cap on sulphur emissions.