IMO Rejects Acceleration of Low-Sulfur Bunker-Fuel Availability Study

摘要

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) announced October 2 during its 65th session that it "informally" voted by a narrow margin to reject a petition from the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) to accelerate an IMO study (now due in 2018) on the global availability of low-sulfur (0.5%-sulfur maximum) bunker fuel for the 2020 IMO "Marpol Annex-6" legislative deadline. The decision potentially could prompt more ship owners to consider investing in stack-emissions scrubbing or else in liquefied natural gas (LNG) power, as alternatives to switching to marine gasoil (MGO) or marine diesel oil (MDO) for Marpol Annex-6 compliance.