Single-hull tankers will not be allowed to trade in the UAE after 2010 despite indications by some Asian countries that they will welcome the tankers beyond the international phase-out deadline.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO), says all vessels more than 20 years old must be withdrawn from service, while all single-hull vessels have to be replaced by double-hull ones by 2010.
charterers of very large crude carriers (VLCCs) have rapidly increased the number of double-hull tankers they are hiring this year as they steer clear of single-hulls, which are being turned away from some ports in Europe and the .
Source: business24-7