Simple Sulfur in Bunker Fuel Compliance

The International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 70) will lower the maximum allowable sulfur content from 3.50% to 0.50%, which will go into effect on January 1, 2020. In order to comply with the new regulation, ship owners and operators will need to decide between two main options: continue to burn High Sulfur Fuel Oil (HSFO) and retrofit their ships with exhaust gas scrubbers that remove the SOx, or switch from HSFO to Low Sulfur Fuel Oil (LSFO).