China's Exports of Very Low-sulfur Marine Fuel Rise 31%
China's exports of very low-sulfur fuel oil (VLSFO) rose 31.2% in June from a year earlier to 1.66 million tonnes, General Administration of Customs data showed on Tuesday, as attractive prices drew clients from other bunker hubs. In the first half of 2021 exports of VLSFO, which has a maximum sulfur content of 0.5% to comply with emission rules set by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), jumped 52.1% to 9.81 million tonnes. China's VLSFO production capacity reached around 20 million tonnes per annum as of the end of June…
Venezuela Alters Oil Royalty Formulas, Driven by IMO 2020
Venezuela has changed the formulas for calculating royalties energy companies pay the government to remove references to fuel oil and some crude grades, driven by stricter rules governing marine fuel emissions, according to a document seen by Reuters.A ban by the United Nations shipping agency, the International Maritime Organization (IMO), on the use of fuels with a sulfur content above 0.5%, aimed at reducing pollution, has roiled oil markets and caused price volatility for…
Neste to Supply Low-Sulfur Marine Fuel to Polferries
Neste and Polferries, a Polish company with a fleet of ferries operating on the Baltic Sea, have agreed on the delivery of low-sulfur marine fuel for the Nynäshamn-Gdansk route in 2017. "Polferries is an important new customer for us. This cooperation is enabled by the fact that our product's distribution services are expanding to Sweden. It's great that a Polish company in the ferry business has taken our premium quality, low-sulfur product into use," says Panu Kopra, Executive Vice President of Neste Oil Retail. Neste's low-sulfur marine fuels provide a good solution for reducing sulfur emissions and meeting increasingly strict regulations, in addition to which their use requires little or no investment or changes to existing vessels.
Owners Warned: Pay Heed to Turkish SOX Regs
OW Bunker highlighted the potential safety issues that ship owners and operators will face in Turkish waters when new local sulfur legislation comes into force from January 1, 2012. “This is a significant move by the Turkish authorities and is much more restrictive than current sulfur regulations,” says Steffen Kortegaard, Technical Director, OW Bunker. The new Turkish regulations mean that 0.1% sulfur content gas oil must be used by vessels calling at Turkish ports between the end of the sea passage and the commencement of the sea passage including in port anchorage areas. The regulation will not be applicable for vessels transiting through the Turkish Straits, such as the Bosporus or Dardanelles, even if they drop anchor providing the vessel maintains transit status.
