Should South Africa’s bunker fuel industry not be ready to meet the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) regulation of a minimum 0.5% sulphur content in marine fuels by 2020, the country may have to import fuel.
That’s the view of Naresh Sewnath, acting chief harbour master for Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA), who confirmed to FTW that South Africa – as one of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) member states – had objected to the implementation date of the IMO2020 as the authority believed the bunker industry would not be ready for this.
“Come 2020, if the local refineries supplying fuel to the shipping lines are not able to meet shipping lines’ demands, the carriers will not purchase from them and this may result in fuel being imported at a much higher cost,” he said.
Sewnath said this was a “real concern” for TNPA and the authority would be meeting with the bunkering industry to address it.
