Shipowners are increasingly looking to new 0.5pc sulphur bunker fuels and marine gasoil (MGO) to comply with upcoming regulations. The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) ruled last year that from 2020, vessels must limit the amount of sulphur contained in exhaust fumes to 0.5pc, down from the present maximum of 3.5pc. Vessels can meet the new standards by installing scrubbers, burning new 0.5pc sulphur fuels that the refining industry is expected to produce, or by using existing middle distillates such as MGO. Some shipowners are looking to burn LNG, although this has so far been a niche product confined to those regions where the necessary infrastructure exists.
展开▼
