Page 10: of Maritime Logistics Professional Magazine (Nov/Dec 2019)

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PROPULSION

IMO 2020 and Diesel Engines:

Powering up for Change

By Neil Graham he International Maritime Organization (IMO) is introduc- form sulphuric acid. This can contribute to the formation of acid ing new rules on marine fuels, which will see a reduction of rain and as a result cause damage to the quality of air, water, soil,

T the MARPOL Annex VI global fuel sulphur cap from 3.5% food and life itself. It can also have a detrimental effect on the to 0.5% come into effect from January 1st 2020. A prohibition on ozone layer and thereby contribute to global warming. It’s there- the carriage of non-compliant fuel will come into force on 1 Janu- fore incumbent upon shipowners, vessel managers and crews to ary 2020. The main aim of the new regulation is to ensure that take the necessary steps to ensure they understand the issues and marine engines use a low-sulphur HFO or marine distillate oils, that their vessels are provided with fuel oil that’s suitable for use which already comply with low sulphur regulations. The move by marine engine power plants. If any problems arise, these must is aimed at curbing SOx (Sulphur Dioxide) pollution produced be addressed to minimize any impact. by ships and represents a very signifcant, industry wide event, There is also an alternative option to low sulphur fuel and that is which will likely have far reaching effects on the global shipping to install post-combustion treatments such as a scrubber system to industry for many years to come. curb SOx. However, due to the large CAPEX requirement and time

SOx released into the atmosphere via a ship’s exhaust gas com- out of service for installation, only a small percentage of shipown- bines with NO2, which acts as a catalyst with other compounds to ers are opting for scrubbers, with most going for compliant fuels.

10 Maritime Logistics Professional November/December 2019 | |