In the first quarter of 2020, most ships calling at the Port of Singapore have complied with the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) 2020 sulphur regulations since they came into effect on January 1, 2020.

Based on pre-arrival notification submitted to the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) from January to March 2020, about 96% of the ships that arrived in the Port of Singapore used compliant fuel.

MPA said in a statement that this excludes ships installed with open-loop scrubbers that switch to using compliant fuel upon arriving in the Port of Singapore.

Under MARPOL Annex VI Regulation 14.1, the sulphur content of any fuel oil used on board ships operating outside an emission control area shall not exceed 0.50% m/m from January 2020.

Likewise, the sulphur content of fuel oil used or carried for use on board a ship shall not exceed 0.50% m/m from March 1, 2020.

In the first quarter of 2020, MPA said it conducted a total of 326 Port State Control (PSC) and Flag State Control (FSC) inspections in the Port of Singapore.

"During these inspections, MPA found 12 ships, which were not fitted with scrubbers, using fuel that marginally exceeded the sulphur limit. This was likely due to remnant residues of high-sulphur fuel in the fuel oil tanks and piping. It is expected that in time, the fuel oil tanks and piping will be properly flushed with the continual use of compliant fuel," it said, noting that MPA had informed the respective managers and flag administrations of these ships about the non-compliance.

Additionally, it said two foreign-registered ships were found to be using non-compliant fuel and they were each issued a PSC detention order and were only allowed to depart from the Port of Singapore after it was verified that they had switched to using compliant fuel.

Singapore-Registered Ships Outside Singapore

During the first three months of 2020, MPA said there was no Singapore-registered ship detained by port state authorities for non-compliance with the IMO 2020 regulations.

Two ships, however, reported the non-availability of compliant fuel and submitted the required Fuel Oil Non-Availability Report.

 “As a leading maritime nation, Singapore is committed to reducing the environmental impact of shipping. 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,” said Goh Chung Hun, MPA’s director of Marine.