30OCT2019 - NEWS - Top tanker operator Euronav readies fleet for IMO 2020 start

Euronav expects to complete preparations on its fleet in coming weeks ahead of tougher rules next year limiting sulphur emissions from ocean-going vessels.

Euronav, one of the world's biggest tanker players, has a fleet over 70 ships including 42 supertankers, which can each carry 2 million barrels of oil. The company has so far opted for low sulphur fuel.

Ships switching to low sulphur fuel need ensure fuel tanks and related piping are cleaned of sludge and sediment that build up with high sulphur fuel, which could also contaminate the new cleaner fuel and potentially make the vessel non-compliant.

In order to do this, vessels need to cleaned ahead of IMO 2020, which involves days worth of preparations for each ship.

Brian Gallagher, Euronav's head of investor relations, said it had already completed the cleaning for some of its vessels.

"We are looking to do this in a fairly quick scale over a period between now and Christmas with the least disruption as possible," he told Reuters. "We are prepared."