HYDROCARBON R 0.

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PROCESSING Phone: +1 (713) 529-4301

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w w w .H y d ro c a rb o n P ro c e s s in g .c o m HPEditorial@HydrocarbonProcessing.com

PUBLISHER Catherine Watkins

l-P Industry Perspectives EDITOR/ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

Catherine.Watkins@GulfPub.com
Lee Nichols
Lee.Nichols@GulfPub.com

EDITORIAL
What is the solution to comply with the Executive Editor
M anaging Editor
Adrienne Blume
Mike Rhodes
IMO's Global Sulfur Cap regulation? Technical Editor
D igital Editor
Bob Andrew
Ashley Smith
R eliability/E quipm ent Editor Heinz R Bloch
In October 2016, the International Maritime Organization C on trib u ting Editor Alissa Leeton
(IM O ) announced that it will implement a new regulation C on trib u ting Editor ARC Advisory Group
that calls for the sulfur content in marine fuels to be reduced C on trib u ting Editor Anthony Sofronas

from 3.5% to 0.5%. The new rule will go into effect in January MAGAZINE PRODUCTION / +1(713) 525-4633
2020. This action by the IM O will have a profound impact on Vice President, Production Sheryl Stone
the maritime and refining industries worldwide, as well as on Manager, E ditorial Production Angela Bathe Dietrich
A ssistant Manager, E ditorial Production Lindsey Craun
the environment. A rtis t/lllu s tra to r David Weeks
Over the past few years, the use of low-sulfur marine fuels Graphic Designer Andreina Keller
Manager, A dvertising Production Cheryl Willis
has been mandatory in designated emissions control areas
(ECAs). These areas include the Baltic Sea and N orth Sea, ADVERTISING SALES
coastal areas off the US and Canada and the US Caribbean Sea. See Sales Offices, page 84.

The maximum sulfur content allowed in marine fuels in
ECAs was lowered from 3.5% to 1% in 2010. In 2015, sulfur
content in marine fuels consumed in ECAs was capped at
0.1%, the same quality as lower-sulfur distillate materials. The
IM O ’s new sulfur cap regulation is an effort to extend the use
of lower-sulfur fuels in international shipping.
For a detailed look at the anticipated market and pricing im­
pacts from the IM O ’s new marine fuel regulation, see Hydrocar­
bon Processing's February Business Trends article.
Three solutions have moved to the forefront of discussions
CIRCULATION / +1 (713) 520-4440 / Circulation@GulfPub.com
Manager, C irculation Alice Murrell
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on meeting the global sulfur cap regulation for shipowners:
1. Purchase compliant fuel with sulfur content of 0.5%
2. Install onboard scrubbers
3. Switch to an alternative fuel, such as LNG.
Each of these items have benefits and challenges. For exam­
ple, LNG is clean-burning, but LNG bunker fuel infrastructure
is lacking around the globe. Will enough low-sulfur fuel be pro­
duced to meet demand from shippers? According to OPEC’s
World Oil Outlook 2016, desulfurization capacity is expected to
skyrocket to 2040. Capacity is being built, but it remains to be
seen if enough capacity willbe operating in time to meet demand.
As the implementation date nears for the global sulfur cap,
what do you think will be the most widely used solution by
shipowners? We have posed this question, in poll format, to
readers of Hydrocarbon Processing.
Solutions other than those listed in the poll may exis: to
comply with the new regulation. One of these solutions may be
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people w orking in this specialized business, subscriptions are restricted to those
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for shipowners to utilize alternative fuels, such as methanol. An­
other solution, although unadvisable, is to continue operating
vessels using high-sulfur fuel and hope to avoid prosecution. KP
HP Poll Question: As the implementation date nears
for the global sulfur cap, what do you think will be
the most widely used solution by shipowners?
Permission is granted by th e c o pyrig h t owner to libraries and others registered
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permission or bulk orders should be addressed to the Editor. ISSN 0018-8190/01.
it GULF #BPA W O R L D W I D E

• Purchase compliant fuel with sulfur content of 0.5% President/CEO John Royall
• Install onboard scrubbers CFO Pamela Harvey
Vice President Ron Higgins
• Switch to an alternative fuel, such as LNG Vice President, Production Sheryl Stone

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