The cost of ships’ fuel is expected to increase significantly as a result of the increased use of (low sulphur) distillate fuel that will follow the implementation of the new IMO rules (MARPOL Annex VI) that will apply in Emission Control Areas in 2015 and globally from 2020, according to the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS). Bunker costs represent an increasingly significant proportion of ships’ operational expenses, having increased by up to 400% since 2000, it says. According to an ICS study, the consensus of opinion within the global industry is that it will be possible for shipping to reduce CO2 emitted per ton of cargo transported one kilometre (ton/km) by 20% between 2005 and 2020, through a combination of technological and operational developments, as well as the introduction of new and bigger ships, designed to the new IMO Energy Efficiency Design Index.
