With or without scrubbers,shippers warned to secure bunker supplies now

摘要

Shipowners are concerned about the availability of both low-sulfur and high-sulfur fuel oil after Jan.2020,when the IMO's 0.5-sulfur cap on marine fuels takes effect.Star Bulk Carriers plans to fit exhaust gas cleaning systems(“scrubbers”)on all of its vessels,and it has already begun communicating with suppliers regarding supplies of HSFO even though President Hamish Norton believes there will be an excess of the product after the new regulation comes into force.Norton sees scrubbers as the best hedge against possible lofty prices for 2020-compliant fuels.