INTERCARGO warns on 2020 sulphur cap implementation

INTERCARGO noted that the global availability of safe compliant fuels remains unclear. It is extremely worrying that compliant fuels have so far been made available only in a limited number of ports and under unfavourable terms for voluntary early testing by ships, as Charterers/Operators are not currently obliged to purchase future compliant fuel.

This means opportunities for practical testing of new fuels and crew training, which are only possible under real conditions aboard ships, have been very limited and will be pushed to the end of year. This risks creating significant safety implications for the operation of ships, which could eventually threaten the safety of seafarers, ships, and cargoes, as well as the marine environment.

In anticipation of the new fuels made available for practical testing aboard ships well before the end of 2019, INTERCARGO has called for:

– the fuel supply industry provides the market with significant volumes of compliant fuels at many ports around the world, so that all sectors can be serviced, including the dry bulk sector
– the Charterers/Operators start purchasing these fuels
– the Publicly Available Specification (PAS) related to the 0.50% limit is made available as soon as possible to provide guidance on the application of the existing ISO 8217 specification for marine fuels
– the ship Owners/Operators enhance crew training.

Seafarers deserve our special consideration, as the industry will largely rely on their skills for managing the new compliant fuels aboard ships on the high seas to ensure a smooth implementation of this drastic change.