Three ports in Italy ready for low sulphur bunker supply before 2020
Shipowners will be glad to hear that at least three ports in Italy will be ready to supply fuel oil onboard with a sulphur content of no more than 0.50%. As widely known, IMO has set a global limit for sulphur in fuel oil used onboard ships of 0.50% from January 1 2020 with the aim of significantly reducing the amount of sulphur oxide emanating from vessels.
This new bunker is going to be distributed by Iplom, a company which operates an oil refinery in northern Italy producing diesel and heating fuels, fuel oils and bitumens. Its oil pipeline allows the distribution of the refined products through the Italian and international pipeline network.
“From 2020 we will be one of the few refineries able to offer fuel oil for bunker with a 0.5% sulphur content due to be supplied mainly in the port of Genoa,” the company said in a statement.
Furthermore Iplom’s CEO, Giorgio Profumo, added to Splash: “In addition to Genoa, we think we will make this new bunker available also in the ports of Leghorn and Venice from October 2019.”
As for the expected price of the new fuel oil for shipowners, considering the current price of the oil standing at some $70 per barrel Profumo stated that “will cost roughly $500 for ton”. Just for comparison, today bunkering in Genoa costs some $300-350 per ton.
