Sign up
Log in Sign up
This is a legacy page. Please click here to view the latest version.
Tue 21 Jun 2016 15:08

Denmark to investigate five shipping firms over fuel sulphur violations


Vessels were said to be burning fuel with a sulphur content as much as nine times above the currently allowed limit.

The Danish Ministry of Environment and Food has confirmed that a total of five shipping firms have been reported to the police in order to investigate allegations of fuel sulphur content violations, local media sources report.

The Ministry, which is the Danish agency tasked with monitoring and restricting the regulation of emissions and whose Minister is Esben Lunde Larsen [pictured], appears to be taking the allegations very seriously as since January 2015, MARPOL ECA requirements for the Baltic and North Seas have restricted sulphur levels in marine fuels for ships operating in the region.

Since the new regulations came into effect, the Danish Maritime Authority has stepped up its inspection programmes, which has resulted in the identification of the five as yet unnamed firms that are alleged not be in compliance with the sulphur content rules.

The figures are based on 200 samples of fuel extracted from ships in Danish ports, where some of the firms operating the vessels tested were reportedly burning fuel with a sulphur content that was between twenty percent to as much as nine times above the currently allowed limit.

Denmark currently also operates an 'air sniffer' that detects sulphur oxide (SOx) levels in exhaust plumes, with one of the devices fitted to a small aeroplane and the other, to the Great Belt Bridge. It is now the job of the police to decide whether charges will be brought.

With both the likelihood of being caught and the fact that fines are rather modest in the E.U., some have warned that there is a financial incentive to cheat rather than adhering to the new requirements. This is in direct contrast to the United States where penalties for breaching Emission Control Area (ECA) sulphur rules are extremely costly.

Minister Esben Lunde Larsen commented on the situation, saying: "Control and enforcement sulphur regulations is important - both for our health, for the environment and to avoid unequal competition for law-abiding companies. The economic gain of cheating is great."

Image: Esben Lunde Larsen

Aicha Azad, Flex Commodities. Flex Commodities hires Aicha Azad as trader in Dubai  

Bunker firm appoints multilingual trader with bunker trading and cargo operations experience.
Desk calendar with the word “TAX”. 'Excess' fossil fuel profits should be taxed and given back to citizens, says T&E  

Campaign group calls for sustained taxes on excess profits or end to subsidies that keep demand high.
NYK Line’s Padma Leader vessel. Imabari Shipbuilding delivers LNG-fuelled car carrier to NYK Line  

Padma Leader expected to achieve up to 30% CO2 reduction through dual-fuel propulsion and exhaust gas recirculation.
Tallink’s MyStar vessel. Tallink targets full bio-LNG transition for Baltic shuttle vessels within a year  

Estonian ferry operator aims to replace all fossil LNG with renewable fuel on the Helsinki-Tallinn route.
Grimaldi's Grande Melbourne vessel. Grimaldi takes delivery of third ammonia-ready car carrier from Chinese shipyard  

Grande Melbourne is the third of seven vessels ordered from Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding for Asia-Europe service.
BPCL and Cochin Port sign MoU. BPCL and Cochin Port sign MoU for LNG bunkering facilities  

Indian oil company and port authority agree to develop LNG refuelling infrastructure for vessels.
ClassNK Guidelines front cover. ClassNK publishes world-first guidelines for membrane-based onboard CO2 capture systems  

Classification society expands guidelines to cover membrane separation method for capturing ship exhaust emissions.
April Tan, Flex Commodities. Flex Commodities hires April Tan as lead trader for China  

Dubai-based marine fuels trader appoints experienced professional to Singapore office to drive regional expansion.
Contract signing ceremony. Yang Ming finalizes contracts for six methanol dual-fuel-ready boxships  

Taiwanese carrier signs deals with Japanese shipbuilders for vessels scheduled for delivery from 2028.
China’s Da Qing 268 vessel. China's first newbuild dual-fuel methanol bunkering vessel launched in Zhoushan  

Da Qing 268 can supply methanol and conventional fuels to ships at anchorage.

↑  Back to Top


 Recommended