Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) has joined leading environmental organisations and the global shipping industry to call for an explicit prohibition on the carriage of non-compliant marine fuels when the global 0.5% sulfur cap takes effect in 2020.
IMO has agreed that from 1st January, 2020 the maximum permitted sulfur content of marine fuel (outside Emission Control Areas) will reduce from 3.5% to 0.5%. Unless a ship is using an approved equivalent compliance method, there should be no reason for it to be carrying non-compliant fuels for combustion on board, the organisations said in a joint communique.
The 2020 sulfur cap will provide substantial environmental and human health benefits as a result of the reduced sulfur content of marine fuels used from 1st January, 2020.
At the same time, the 2020 cap will significantly increase ships’ operating costs and will present major challenges to governments that must ensure consistent enforcement across the globe. To secure the intended environmental and health benefits, the organisations said it is of utmost importance that enforcement of this standard is efficient and robust globally. Any failure by governments to ensure consistent implementation and enforcement could also lead to serious market distortion and unfair competition.
In a joint statement ahead of a critical IMO meeting in February, at which proposals for a carriage ban will be discussed by governments, environmental and shipping organisations stressed that such a ban will help ensure robust, simplified and consistent enforcement of the global sulfur cap.
A number of international associations representing the global shipping industry,, as well as the Cook Islands and Norway, have already submitted proposals to the IMO to ban the carriage of non-complaint fuels. These proposals call for an amendment to MARPOL Convention Annex VI, which stipulates that ships should not carry fuel for propulsion with a sulfur content above 0.5% (unless they are using an approved alternative compliance method).
Given the fundamental importance of the 2020 global sulfur cap, the call for a prohibition on the carriage of non-compliant fuels is now supported by the following organisations: BIMCO, Clean Shipping Coalition, Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), Friends of the Earth US, International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), International Parcel Tankers’ Association (IPTA), INTERTANKO, Pacific Environment, World Shipping Council, and WWF Global Arctic Programme.
