28OCT2019 - NEWS - Russia looks to delay cleaner oil regulations

Russia says it may delay the domestic adoption of stricter rules targeting air pollution caused by the shipping trade.  

Shipowners and operators are preparing to switch to using fuel with a sulphur content below 0.5 per cent in January under new International Maritime Organisation (IMO) rules. 

With the implementation of the IMO rules on marine fuels looming, stockpiles of low-sulphur fuels held in tankers around the key fuel hub of Singapore are growing. 

The Russian energy and transport ministries, however, are poised to postpone enforcement of the standards inside its waters until 2024, according to energy minister Alexander Novak.