The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said 96% of ships calling at the Port of Singapore in Q1 2020 have complied with IMO’s sulphur cap and used compliant fuel
The MPA’s findings are based on pre-arrival notifications submitted to the port authority by ships calling at the Port of Singapore between January to March 2020. It excludes ships installed with open-loop scrubbers that switch to using compliant fuel upon arriving in the Port of Singapore.
MPA reported 326 port state control (PSC) and flag state control inspections in the Port of Singapore in Q1 2020. MPA found 12 non-compliant ships using fuel that marginally exceeded the sulphur limit and with no scrubber installed.
MPA said this was likely due to residues of high-sulphur fuel in the fuel oil tanks and piping, adding that it expects in time, the fuel oil tanks and piping will be properly flushed with the continual use of compliant fuel. The managers and flag administrations of these ships were informed about the non-compliance, MPA said.
According to the MPA’s report, two foreign-registered ships were found to be using non-compliant fuel. Both vessels were issued a PSC detention order, and were only allowed to depart from the port after the MPA verified the vessels had switched to using compliant fuel.
Singapore has also banned the discharge of washwater from open-loop scrubbers, but no ships breached this rule in the same period, according to the MPA.
MPA Singapore said there have been no reports of Singapore-registered ships detained by port state authorities for non-compliance in Q1 2020. However, two Singapore-registered ships reported the non-availability of compliant fuel and submitted FONARs, and there have been 31 reports of scrubber malfunctions as of 29 February 2020.
MPA director of marine Goh Chung Hun said, “By engaging the industry proactively, providing the necessary technical guidance and maintaining an adequate supply of compliant fuel in Singapore, we have ensured a high degree of compliance with IMO 2020 sulphur regulations. Singapore will continue to play its part to make shipping clean and sustainable.”
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