IMO 2020 - Sulphur Fuel Cap

The IMO Marine Environmental Protection Committee (MEPC) held its 78th session (MEPC 78) remotely from June 6-10, 2022, and this article seeks to summarise the outcomes from MEPC 78.

The Club's Correspondent, Vitsan, has issued a Circular to advise Members of amendments and new provisions in the Turkish Environmental Law for Marine Pollution Incidents, published in the Official Gazette on 15 June 2022.

A global fuel sulphur cap of 0.5% was introduced from 1 January 2020, while the 0.1% sulphur cap continued to apply within the ECAs designated under MARPOL Annex VI

Marpol Annex VI requires ships to reduce SOx emissions either by burning low sulphur fuel or by cleaning the exhaust gas.  Exhaust gas cleaning systems (EGCS), also known as "scrubbers", have been fitted onboard many ships as an acceptable equivalent method of compliance under Marpol Annex VI. Many more ships are intending to have scrubbers fitted.