New 1% fuel sulphur limits enter into effect from 1 July 2010 for ships operating in the Sulphur

Emission Control Areas comprising the Baltic Sea, North Sea and English Channel The rules governing the maximum permitted content of sulphur in fuels used for international shipping are determined by Annex VI of the Marine Pollution Convention MARPOL73/78 under the auspices of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Some of these standards have been transposed into and/or complemented by EU law by Directive 1999/32/EC on the sulphur content of certain liquid fuels (as amended by 2005/33/EC). The most recent fuel sulphur limits agreed in 2008 by the IMO have yet to be incorporated into EU law. As of 1 July 2010, new fuel sulphur limits contained in the 2008 amendment of Annex VI enter into force. As a consequence, the maximum permitted sulphur content of fuels used in SOx Emission Control Areas (SECAs) will be lowered to 1.00% by weight (from the previous 1.5%). The Baltic Sea, North Sea and English Channel have been designated as SECAs by the IMO. In addition, EU law requires all ships at berth or anchorage in EU ports to use fuels with a sulphur content of less than 0.1% by weight. This provision entered into force on 1 January 2010. However, for some types of ships need to undergo an adaptation of their boilers in order to be able to use 0.1% sulphur fuels safely and not all of these adaptations were completed before the entry into force of the new requirements. The Commission has therefore recommended that the Member States take into account the steps taken by individual operators to undertake the technical adaptations where these are required when enforcing the requirements. More information can be found on the Commission's web site 1 . Questions and answers: Q: What fuel do I need to use if I want to enter a SECA after 1 July 2010? A: According to the revised MARPOL Annex VI, only fuel with a maximum sulphur content of 1.00% can be used. Q: The EU Directive contains a limit value of 1.5%? Is this still applicable? A: The 1.5% limit in EU law is still in force, but operators must comply with the stricter limit of 1.0% of the revised Annex VI. The Commission is in the process of amending EU law for the purpose aligning the limits contained in the EU Directive with those in MARPOL. Annex VI. Q: What if a ship uses fuel exceeding 1.00% but below 1.5% sulphur whilst in 'an EU SECA'? A: The ship is in breach of MARPOL Annex VI. It will be up to the Flag State and the Port States to apply sanctions to the ship and to ensure that the ship continues its voyage using compliant fuel. Q: What fuels must passenger ships use when operating on regular services to or from EU ports? A: If a passenger ship operates in one of the seas designated as SECA, it has to use fuel not exceeding 1.00% sulphur as required by MARPOL Annex VI. If a passenger ship operates outside the SECAs but is operating a regular service to or from an EU port, than the ship has to use fuel not exceeding 1.5% sulphur as required by the Directive 1999/32/EC relating to the sulphur content in liquid fuels.

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/air/transport/pdf/ships_faq.pdf