Singapore embraces IMO 2020 and more sustainable future

THE PORT of Singapore is a major global hub port, connected to 600 ports in more than 120 countries. At any one time, there are over 1,000 ships at the port and more than 130,000 ships visit annually. It is also the world’s largest bunkering port by volume, with more than 47 million tonnes of fuel sold in 2019. On 1 January 2020, new regulations from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) on the amount of sulphur permitted in fuel oil used on board ships came into force. Under the IMO 2020 standard, fuel cannot contain more than 0.50% sulphur. To comply with these new regulations, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) began to monitor the fuel of ships entering the port. In the first three months of the year, it carried out 326 inspections. In April, the MPA published its Q1 compliance rates, showing that 96% of inspected ships arriving at the Port of Singapore were using IMO 2020- compliant fuel, excluding those with open-loop scrubbers that switched to using compliant fuel upon arrival. 12 ships were found to have fuel that marginally exceeded the sulphur limit but this was thought to be due to residues. For Singapore registered ships operating globally,...