Fujairah Offers Clean Fuel Well Ahead Of IMO Deadline

by Roslan Khasawneh (Reuters) – The port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has begun offering cleaner marine fuel oils that comply with stricter global emissions rules which come into effect at the start of 2020, a port document showed.

Marine fuels, also known as bunkers, with a maximum 0.5 percent sulfur content are “available in Fujairah as early as February 2019 onwards,” said a notice to mariners posted on the Port of Fujairah’s website.

Fujairah is among the world’s largest bunkering hubs.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) will prohibit ships from using fuels with sulfur content above 0.5 percent from Jan. 1, 2020, compared with 3.5 percent today.

To comply with IMO 2020 rules, shippers can switch to burning cleaner but more expensive oil, invest in exhaust cleaning systems known as scrubbers that may allow them to still use cheaper high-sulfur fuels, or redesign vessels to run on alternatives like liquefied natural gas (LNG).

In January, Fujairah port authorities announced they would ban open-loop scrubbers, mirroring a similar moves in Singapore – the world top bunkering hub – and China.

Reporting by Roslan Khasawneh; Editing by Rashmi Aich