UK FTA Sulphur Directive Marine Fuel Survey

UK's Freight Transport Association (FTA) conducts survey on whether Sulphur Directive could cause modal shift from sea to road freight.

The FTA is asking short sea users for feedback on how the directive could affect them. A five-minute FTA survey has been set up which will gauge the impact the directive will have across the industry. The survey is confidential and only asks for estimates based on respondents' understanding.

Christopher Snelling, FTA - head of supply chain policy said: “The UK Department for Transport have said to us they need evidence about what impact cost increases or reductions in service would have on the use of short-sea shipping. Therefore we need hauliers, logistics companies and freight customers to tell us how they would respond if such impacts come to pass.”

Issue Background: In 2015 a requirement will come into effect (often known as the Sulphur Directive) in the North-Sea and English Channel (therefore not west coast, UK/Ireland) requiring the sulphur content of maritime fuels to reduce from 1% to 0.1%. Due to the need to make use of lower sulphur fuels, or to fit emission reducing 'scrubber' technology to ships, the shipping industry believes this will lead to substantially increased costs.

FTA wants to ascertain whether, if the costs of such services do increase, this will result in a reverse modal switch to road freight.