Maritime transport: a new "Low Sulphur" regulation

As of January1, 2020, a new "Low Sulphur" regulation issued by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) requires all shipping companies to reduce their sulfur (SOx) emissions worldwide.

Whereas until now, only the Emission Control Areas (ECA) of Northern Europe, the Baltic Sea and North America were subject to restrictive SOx emission regulations, from 01/01/2020, all maritime areas worldwide will be subject to the obligation not to exceed 0.5% sulfur content in the air (previously 3.5%). However, this level is still higher than that permitted in SECA zones.

Companies must therefore adapt their resources and marine fuels to comply with these regulations.

To achieve this, they have three options:

  • Use low-sulphur fuel (marine diesel with 0.1% sulphur content, for example), which is more expensive than current fuel, and whose availability is not guaranteed everywhere;
  • Install scrubber systems, which entail additional installation and maintenance costs for on-board personnel;
  • Use alternative energies such as liquefied natural gas (LNG) for their new ships.

TK'Blue takes these different possibilities into account in the definition of fleets, enabling us to calculate the societal costs and atmospheric pollutant emissions associated with maritime transport, taking into account the methods put in place to comply with this new regulation.