19SEP2019 - NEWS - Shell loads first LSFO cargo from Singapore refinery ahead of IMO

Royal Dutch Shell has loaded the first cargo of low-sulphur fuel oil (LSFO) from its Pulau Bukom refining site in Singapore, it said on Thursday.

Demand for stable low-sulphur marine fuel supplies is rising as the shipping sector prepares for the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) lowering of the cap on sulphur in marine fuels to 0.5 per cent from 3.5 per cent beginning in January 2020.

This is the first time Shell has made LSFO from its own upstream crude, the company said in a statement.

The cargo will be blended to a finished product, which Shell will supply to bunker customers, enabling its customers to be prepared for the implementation of the IMO 2020 mandate, Shell said.