The Study On Different Solutions Of Low Sulfur Emission For Vessels

Emission standards have long been applied for land based industries, and lim its have become increasingly stringent. The outcome is that in som e areas, the sh ipping industry is now the m ajor source of Sox a nd PM(Particulate Matter) emissions. Even though sea transportation is the m ost environmentally friendly m eans of transport, there is still room for i mprovements. The first Sox regulations were introduced in 2005, with a gradual tightening to allow owners time to adapt.Initially the IMO regulations cover two emission control areas; the Baltic and North Sea, and a 200 nautical m ile zone off the North Am erican coast. Here the current maximum fuel sulfur content is 1%, with that lim it being reduced to 0.1% from 2015, effectively f orcing owners of all vessels operating in these areas to take action. The IMO and E U regulations, as well as some more stringent local rules, are being implemented.Thousands of vessels sailing within or to Europe and North America will have to adapt, with a change of fuel or the inst allation of abatement equipment being the only options. Changing to MGO(Marine Gas Oil) fuel is one, albeit a costly solution, and fuel switching can be risky. As the dem and for residual fuels disappears, the price differential between HFO(Heavy Fuel Oil) and MGO will grow even greater in th e future, while LNG is becom ing a viable fu el alternative for fixed s ailing routes. Currently, the availability of LNG is lim ited, and the capex requirem ent and retrofit complexity will elim inate some players. Th ere are also alterna tive fuels, but th e overall fuel dem and for shipping is st ill expected to grow going forward, and availability is a poten tial challenge. Installing abatement equipment is the m ost financially viable solution. There is still a capex required, but the payback time is very attractive. This alternative is also the least instrusive.