LR introduces online tool to help evaluate sulphur options
British class society Lloyd’s Register (LR) has launched the Sulphur 2020 – Options Evaluator to help the industry identify the best strategy for compliance with the global sulphur in fuel oil limit of 0.50% m/m, which comes into effect on January 1 2020.
The Options Evaluator aims to bring some much-needed clarity to what the potential cost and investment implications could be for the various compliance strategies, such as transition from fuel oil to MGO, use of scrubbers and HSFO or use of other compliant fuels such as LNG or Methanol.
There is no clear strategy to compliance. It is dependent on trading patterns, distance travelled, speed, size and type of vessels.
The Options Evaluator allows ship operators to compare different compliance strategies by reviewing emissions output and comparing the different capex and opex implications of each option.
LR’s Douglas Raitt, regional consultancy manager Asia, commented: “2020 is around the corner and to date it appears most operators will transition from fuel oil to gas oil operations to meet the global sulphur in fuel oil limit. Scrubber uptake or LNG and methanol as a marine fuel are slowly evolving, perhaps as a function of a ‘wait and see’ approach by the shipping industry. We developed the options evaluator to give some guidance to operators who have not yet fully considered their options to 2020 compliance.”