14NOV2019 - NEWS - Essar Shipping gearing up for IMO 2020 compliance Through Scrubber Installations

The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has directed that starting January 2020, the global cap of sulphur content in shipping fuel is to be reduced to 0.5% (from the current 3.5%). This decision has been triggered because there is a huge amount of damage taking place in the marine environment due to high sulphur emissions, especially in Northern European countries, UK being the highest sufferer.

Essar Shipping which is India’s second largest private sector shipping company is in support of this decision and is in the process of adapting to be more environment-friendly and implementing processes that will reduce the harm caused to maritime environment due to sulphur in the fuel.

Essar Shipping is undertaking the change by installing scrubbers in some of its vessels and simultaneously switching over to the use of compliant (low sulphur) fuel in the rest if its vessels. The company will make capital investments in four out of the 12 owned vessels. The four vessels consist of three minicapes (bulk carriers) and one VLCC.