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The Danish Maritime Authority and the Environmental Protection Agency informs about the sulphur content of fuel used by ships at berth in EU ports
The sulphur content of marine fuels used at berth in Community ports must not exceed 0.1% by mass from 1 January 2010. This requirement applies to any use of fuel in auxiliary engines, main engines and boilers.
It does not apply to:
- Ships which, according to published timetables, are due to be at berth for less than two hours.
- Ships which switch off all engines and use shoreside electricity while at berth in ports.
It is required that the time of all fuel changeover operations is recorded in the ships’ logbooks.
In late 2009, it became clear that there is a risk of explosions in boiler systems only designed for heavy oil. The reason for this is not the low sulphur content of the fuel, but that low sulphur content fuels are only available with a low viscosity.
The risk of boiler explosions made the EU Commission issue a recommendation C(2009) 10289 final dated 21 December 2009. The recommendation grants a maximum deadline of 8 months from 1 January 2010 to ships that are, for safety reasons, not yet able to comply with the requirement for a sulphur content of 0.1% by mass for fuels used in port.
The Environmental Protection Agency will enforce the requirement for 0.1% by mass for ships in Danish ports in the light of the special conditions of the industry and on the basis of the Commission’s recommendation of 21 December 2009. In this connection, an agreement with a supplier to replace the necessary parts must be available. Each individual ship must carry documentation of the exchange arrangements and the Class approval on board so that it is possible to check it at an inspection.
The Environmental Protection Agency points out that this possibility of using fuels with a higher sulphur content than 0.1% in ports applies only to systems with safety problems. If boilers are fitted on board capable of using fuel with 0.1% sulphur and/or diesel generators capable of meeting the requirement, they must be used.
The requirement for 0.1% sulphur is stipulated in article 4b of Directive 1999/32/EC, as amended by Directive 2005/33/EC of 6 July 2005. As regards the enforcement of the Directive on Danish ships in other EU ports, this depends on these countries’ national implementation. Directive 2005/33/EC has been transposed into Danish law by Order no. 1663 of 14 December 2006 on the sulphur content of solid and liquid fuels issued by the Environmental Protection Agency.
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