Low-Sulphur Fuel What Every Vessel Needs to Know About IMO Regulations.pdf

Discover how IMO 2020 regulations on low-sulphur fuel impact global shipping. Learn how Gujmar, one of the best ship suppliers and marine fuel suppliers in India, ensures compliance, efficiency, and eco-friendly marine services.

1. Low-SulphurFuel:WhatEveryVesselNeedstoKnow
AboutIMORegulations
Since1January2020,theglobalshippingindustrychangedthewayitsourcesand
burnsfuel.TheInternationalMaritimeOrganization’s(IMO)sulphurcap—
commonlycalledIMO2020—requiresshipsoperatingoutsidedesignatedEmission
ControlAreas(ECAs)tousefuelwithamaximumsulphurcontentof0.50%m/m,a
dramaticreductionfromtheformer3.50%limit.InsideECAs,thelimitremainsfar
stricter(0.10%S).Theserulesaffecteverylinkinthemaritimefuelchain:owners,
operators,engineers,portauthorities,andmarinefuelsuppliersinIndiaand
worldwide.
Forvesselmanagersandcrews,understandingthetechnicalrequirements,practical
complianceoptions,andcommercialimplicationsoflow-sulphurfuelisessential.
Thisguideexplainswhatlow-sulphurfuelmeansinpractice,howshipfuel
regulationsareenforced,theavailablecomplianceoptions(andtradeoffs),andwhat
toexpectfromareliableshipsupplierorbestshipsupplycompanyinIndiawhen
bunkeringlow-sulphurfuel.
Whatis“Low-SulphurFuel”(andtheCommonFuelTypes)?
“Low-sulphurfuel”describesmarinefuelsthatmeetIMO’ssulphurceilings.The
mostcommonlyusedlow-sulphuroptionsare:
VLSFO(VeryLowSulphurFuelOil)—blendedresidualfuelsmeeting≤0.50%S.
VLSFObecamethemarket’sprimarycompliancefuelafterIMO2020.
MGO(MarineGasOil)/DMA—distillatefuelswithmuchlowersulphur
(typically≤0.10%S)usedinsideECAsorwherestricteremissionsrulesapply.

2. Ultra-LowSulphurFuel(ULSFO)—fuelswithsulphurlevels≤0.10%,usedwithin
ECAsorwherelocalrulesdemandthem.
HSFO+Scrubber—somevesselsfittedwithexhaustgascleaningsystems
(scrubbers)continuetoburnhigh-sulphurfueloil(HSFO)whilemeetingemission
limitsbycleaningexhaustgases.
FuelmustalsomeettheISO8217specificationandlocalportsampling/testingrules.
Thefueltypechosenaffectsengineperformance,storageconsiderations,andcosts
—sobunkeringdecisionsmustbemadecarefully.
WhyComplianceMatters:Safety,Costs,andPortInspections
CompliancewithIMO2020Regulationsisnotoptional.Non-compliancecantrigger
PortStateControl(PSC)inspections,fines,detention,orevencriminalpenaltiesin
somejurisdictions.PSCofficersroutinelycheckfueloilrecords,bunkerdelivery
notes(BDNs),andmayrequirefuelsamplesfortesting.
TherevisedPSCproceduresandintensifiedenforcementinrecentyearsmeanthat
incorrectdocumentation,non-compliantfuel,orimproperfuelchangeoverpractices
canquicklybecomeoperationalheadaches.
Beyondenforcement,poorfuelcompatibility,contamination,orimproperblending
cancauseenginedamage,increasedmaintenance,orevenoperationaldowntime.
That’swhyatrustworthyshipsupplierandexperiencedmarinefuelsuppliersin
Indiaareessentialpartners—theyhelpensurecorrectfuelspecification,clean
supplychains,androbustdocumentation.
ComplianceOptions:ProsandCons
Vesseloperatorsgenerallyhavethreecomplianceroutes:
1.BurnLow-SulphurFuel(VLSFO/MGO/ULSFO)
Pros:
CompliesdirectlywithIMOsulphurlimitswithoutonboardmodifications.
Straightforwardformostvessels.
Cons:
VLSFOqualitycanvary.
Someblendshavecompatibilityissueswhenmixedwithexistingfuelintanks.
VLSFOisoftenmoreexpensivethanHSFO.
2.InstallandUseExhaustGasCleaningSystems(Scrubbers)
Pros:

3. AllowscontinueduseofcheaperHSFOwhilemeetingemissionlimitsinthestack.
Canbecost-effectiveonlongvoyageswhereHSFOpricespreadsjustifycapex.
Cons:
Highinitialinvestmentandadditionalmaintenance.
Someportsrestrictorbanopen-loopscrubbersduetoenvironmentalconcerns.
Requiresongoingmonitoringandwaste-handlingcompliance.
3.AlternativeFuelsandFutureOptions(LNG,Biofuels,Methanol,Hydrogen)
Pros:
Potentialforloweremissionsandfutureregulatoryalignment.
Cons:
Infrastructureandbunkeringavailabilityarestilldeveloping.
Engineretrofitsandtrainingrequirementscanbecostly.
Choosingtherightpathdependsonvesseltradingpatterns,enginetype,fueltank
segregation,costmodelling,andregulatoryexposure.
PracticalStepsEveryVesselMustFollowWhenBunkeringLow-Sulphur
Fuel
Toreduceoperationalrisk,followthesebestpractices:
1.VerifySupplierCredentialsandFuelSpecs:
ObtainfullBDNs,supplierqualitycertificates,andsampletestresults.
TrustworthybunkersuppliersandmarinefuelsuppliersinIndiaprovide
transparentdocumentationandISO-8217compliance.
2.PerformPre-BunkerChecks:
Confirmtankcleanliness,compatibilitystudiesifmixingfuels,andensurefuel
temperaturesandviscositiesaresuitableforthevessel’ssystems.
3.PlanFuelChangeoverCarefully:
Acontrolledchangeoverprocedurereducestheriskofcompatibilityproblems,
foaming,orfilterclogging.Documenttheprocessinthelogbook.
4.RetainandLabelSamples:
Keeprepresentativesamplestakenduringbunkeringfortherequiredretention
period;recordtime,date,vesseldetails,andsampleIDforPSCinspections.
5.CommunicatewithYourShipSupplier:
AproactiveshipsupplierinIndiashouldadviseonlocalbunkerqualityissues,
storageconstraints,andportpractices.
WhatShipOwnersShouldExpectfromaProfessionalShipSupplier

4. SelectingthebestshipsupplycompanyinIndiamattersbecausebunkeringisa
high-riskactivity.Therightsupplierbrings:
Verifiedsupplychainsandtransparentpaperwork(BDNs,testcertificates,lab
reports).
LocalknowledgeandlogisticstosourcecompliantVLSFOorMGOatmajorbunkering
hubs.
Contingencyplanningforalternatefuelsifanominatedtypeisunavailable.
Technicalsupportforcompatibilityassessmentsandchangeoverguidance.
IntegratedmarineservicesinIndia—suchastechnicalstores,repairs,and
provisions—thatstreamlineportcallsandreduceoperationalfriction.
ForoperatorstradingtoandfromIndia,choosingreputablemarinefuelsuppliersin
Indiawithstrongportcoverageandtransparentpracticesreducescompliancerisk
andimprovesreliability.
Market&SupplyConsiderations(WhattoExpectinPortsandPricing)
Theglobalswitchtolow-sulphurfueltransformedbunkermarkets.VLSFObecame
thepredominanttradedfuel,whileregionalrefineryyields,newECAs,andlocal
demandpatternsaffectpricingandavailability.
Marketdynamicsandseasonalfactorscancausepricefluctuations,soit’sessential
toworkwithamarinefuelsupplierinIndiathatprovidesreal-timeupdates,local
availabilityintelligence,andflexiblesourcingoptions.Alwaysfactorlocalsupply
conditionsintovoyagefuelplanning.
CommonProblemsOperatorsFacewithVLSFO—andHowtoPrevent
Them
Compatibility&SludgeFormation:
MixingdifferentVLSFObatchescanformsediments.Prevention:compatibility
checksandtanksegregationwhenpossible.
FilterClogging&StabilityIssues:
Rapidchangeoversoremulsionscanclogseparatorsandfilters.Prevention:gradual
changeoverproceduresandmonitoring.
Contamination(WaterorSediments):
Poorbunkerhandlingorstoragecanintroducecontaminants.Prevention:proper
samplinganduseofcleandeliverylines.

5. DocumentationGaps:
MissingorincorrectBDNscausePSCproblems.Prevention:insistoncomplete
documentationandretainsamplesforinspection.
HowGujmarSupportsComplianceandReducesRisk
PartneringwithatrustedsupplierlikeGujmarGroupreducesoperationalburden
andensuresfullcompliance.
AccurateDocumentation:EverybunkerdeliveryincludesverifiedBDNsand
qualitycertificates.
LocalMarketIntelligence:Gujmaradvisesonregionalfuelquality,likelyblends,
andbestportoptions.
TechnicalGuidance:Supportforcompatibilitychecks,changeoverprocedures,
andcontingencyplanning.
IntegratedServices:AspartofitsmarineservicesinIndia,Gujmaralsoprovides
shiprepairs,provisions,andtechnicalstorestostreamlineoperations.
ForshipstradinginandoutofIndia,partneringwithreliablemarinefuelsuppliersin
Indiaandaconsolidatedshipsupplierensuressmoothbunkering,fewersurprises,
andfasterturnarounds.
Checklist:ImmediateActionsBeforeYourNextBunkering
ConfirmthefuelspecificationontheBDNmatchesISO8217andsulphurcontent
≤0.50%(or≤0.10%inECAs).
Requestandreviewsuppliersamplereportsandretentionpolicies.
Performacompatibilitycheckagainstexistingfuelonboard.
Planacontrolledchangeoverprocedureanddocumentit.
Keeprepresentativesamplesproperlylabeledandstored.
Verifythesupplier’sreputationandcertifications.
Conclusion&NextSteps
TheIMO2020sulphurcappermanentlyreshapedtheglobalbunkeringlandscape.
Forvesseloperators,theprioritiesareclear—complywithshipfuelregulations,
manageoperationalrisks,andworkwithtransparent,experiencedsuppliers.
ChoosingadependableshipsupplierandreputablemarinefuelsuppliersinIndia—
onesthatcombinelocalknowledge,technicalsupport,androbustdocumentation—
reducesPSCrisks,protectsmachinery,andhelpskeepyourfleetonschedule.
ForsourcingcompliantVLSFO,MGO,orarrangingpre-bunkerdocumentation,
partnerwithGujmarGroup,atrustednameinmarineservicesinIndiaandamong
thebestshipsupplycompaniesinIndia.