Low Sulphur Regulation

Fuel changeover in practice


The annex to MARPOL VI, adopted at the end of March, will put into effect a 200-mile zone around North America as of August 2011 in which only vessels whose fuels contain a maximum sulphur content of 0.1 % may operate.

By way of this Emission Control Area (ECA), the IMO goes the extra mile with the SECA (Sulphur Emission Control Area) already designated by MARPOL. The SECAs that already apply include the Baltic and North Sea as well as the English Channel – the maximum permitted sulphur content in fuel has been 1.0 % since July 2010. As of January 2015, the permitted level will drop to 0.1 %, as in North America.

Because it is not practically possible to influence regulation of these emissions through engine design, the IMO has defined the sulphur limits for every type of fuel used on board via MARPOL Annex VI. The diesel engines of seagoing merchant vessels – low-speed two-stroke units – are run with heavy fuel oil (HFO) in which a sulphur content of up to 4.5 % is allowed. In the SECAs different fuel with less sulphur (low-sulphur fuel) must be used to comply with the strict limits applying there. Generally it is also possible to wash out the sulphur from exhaust gases. However, this requires elaborate washing equipment, use of which is only worth - while with ships, such as ferries, that regularly operate in sulphur emission control areas.

Changing over in time
In practice this now means changing over the fuel supply for vessels to lowsulphur fuel before entering SECAs – and in future also the North American emission control areas. Though this certainly makes sense in terms of environmental policy, it poses great challenges for practitioners because of the large number of variants. After all, bunkering two types of fuel with different sulphur content on board today – and three or four in the future – necessitates an equal number of tank and piping systems!

Hansa Mare vessels are equipped solely with one fuel system, so it is necessary to prepare for entry into a SECA in due time. The crew has to prepare beforehand by slowly emptying the settling tank from which the separators obtain the fuel. Then low-sulphur fuel is pumped from the bunker tank to the settling tank. Since considerable amounts of fuel circulate in the fuel system, a mixing phase takes place and it may therefore take up to two days before the system has been completely changed over to low-sulphur fuel.

These mixing phases are critical in that the crew has to start the changeover in due time before reaching the SECA to ensure that the legal provisions applying to these areas can be complied with. The fuel amounts in the tanks as well as the date, time and ship’s position have to be recorded in writing in the logbook for the point in time at which the changeover is completed. The big engine manufacturers have begun offering technical solutions for this changeover process. At this year’s Senior Officers’ Training Seminar hosted by Hansa Mare Reederei, for instance, engine manufacturer MAN presented to the chief engineers, a newly developed, diesel switch. It is designed to automatically control the changeover between the fuels or fuel systems. However, this switch has to be technically equipped such that it regulates feed and return. A marine diesel engine does not completely consume the fuel provided by the fuel system, but merely takes the required fuel while the remaining amount is pumped back into the system.

Sulphur limits at a glance:
International:
Since 2005: maximum 4.5 %
As of 2012: maximum 3.5 %
As of 2020: maximum 0.5 %

In SECAs:
Since 1st July 2010: maximum 1.0 %
As of 2015: maximum 0.1 %

In EU ports:
Since 1st January 2010: maximum 0.1 % for all vessels with minimum lay times of two hours

 

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