Sustainable shipping reported on the 15th of March that “European Ports are satisfied with the EU directive on marine fuel sulphur content” The article went on to say that the ports “applaud” the amendment to allow ships using scrubbing equipment to consume fuel with a higher sulphur content than the global 3.5% limit, subject to the emissions criteria being met of course, and “encourage the EU to come forward with "concrete proposals" to support the use of alternative techniques within the "short notice" period”
The ports of Hamburg, Antwerp and Rotterdam, to which the article refers, are of course major players in both the movement of cargo and the distribution of bunker fuel in Europe and as such this positive and constructive position is a welcome.
The European Parliament and the Council of Ministers will need to reach a common agreement regarding the proposed amendments to the directive, with the aim of having them accepted under the Danish Presidency, before July 1, 2012.
Understandably industry will lobby hard for flexibility in compliance whilst legislators seek simplicity in implementation. Balancing the two is always difficult, but the more flexibility legislators permit the more positively industry can view innovation and use it to find the optimum commercial means of compliance.
We believe that sea water scrubbing is a compelling means of compliance amongst a variety which are available to ship operators and we await with interest the “concrete proposals” to support alternative techniques.