Indonesia gets back in line with sulphur cap introduction
Indonesia’s Ministry of Transportation has reversed its decision to delay the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) low sulphur fuel regulations, and has now said its domestic fleet must be ready for the January 1 start of the sulphur cap.
In July, the ministry caused uproar when it said domestic vessels would be allowed to continue to burn heavy fuel oil (HFO) within local waters beyond January 1 next year in order to get through existing stockpiles of high sulphur content fuel.
Since then, however, Jakarta has had a change of heart, much to the relief of top brass at the London headquarters of IMO.
According to the ministry, Indonesia’s state-run energy firm Pertamina will produce 380,000 kilolitres of low sulphur fuel each year and the company will set up sales for low sulphur fuel in Jakarta’s main port and from a floating storage off Balikpapan in East Kalimantan province.