[E-PORTS News] Indonesia: IMO 2020 Sulfur Cap May Not be Implemented

On July 26, Indonesia said it would not require its fleets to use low-sulfur fuels due to the high cost of clean fuels. 

 According to the IMO 2020 Sulfur Cap, ships are required to use fuels with a sulfur content of up to 0.5%, otherwise they shall be equipped with scrubbers to meet the requirement. 

 However, due to the high cost of complying with the new regulation, Indonesian authorities allowed vessels flying the Indonesian flag to continue burning fuel with a sulfur content of up to 3.5% in the territorial waters after 2020 without using scrubbers. 

 “The low-sulfur fuel is much more expensive, which will increase the operating cost of ships and further affect the logistics cost and the price of goods”, an anonymous official said earlier. He added that Indonesia, a country with more than 18,000 islands, would allow its ships to use high-sulfur fuel instead of scrubbers until the domestic supply of low-sulfur fuel improves. 

 “We always consider national interests first when making decisions,” the official said. However, ships flying the Indonesian flag shall comply with the sulfur cap when sailing on international routes. 

 In 2012, Indonesia joined the “International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships” (MARPOL), which is the main international agreement covering all kinds of pollution from ships. The provision (MARPOL Annex VI, Article 14) applies to all ships sailing both internationally and domestically. According to data from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Indonesia registered 9,053 ships of various types in 2018. 

 Ashok Sharma, managing director of BRS Baxi, a Singapore-based ship broking company, said, “Indonesia’s move may have an impact on IMO 2020, while it may be insignificant in terms of geographical coverage.” 

 印尼：不会执行IMO 2020限硫规定 

 7月26日， 由于清洁燃料的高成本，印度尼西亚表示将不会执行新的全球规定，不会要求对其国内航运船队使用低硫船用燃料。 

 根据2020年生效的国际海事组织规定，船舶必须使用硫含量最高为0.5%的燃料，除非它们配备了洗涤器以从中除去硫磺来达到船舶的规定排放量。 

 但由于遵守新规则的成本很高，印度尼西亚当局表示将允许悬挂印度尼西亚旗的船只在2020年以后在其领海内继续燃烧含硫量最高为3.5%的燃料，而不必使用洗涤器。 

 “最高0.5%的燃料价格更贵，这将增加船舶的运营成本，这将影响物流成本和货物价格。”一位不愿透露姓名的官员此前表示。这位官员补充说，拥有超过18,000个岛屿的群岛印度尼西亚将允许其国内船只使用高硫燃料而不使用洗涤器，直到国内低硫燃料供应得到改善。 

 “我们在作出决定时始终将国家利益作为考虑因素，”该官员表示。然而，官方表示，悬挂印度尼西亚旗的船只在国际航线将需要遵守国际海事组织的全球限硫规则，因为全球船都将如此。 

 2012年，印度尼西亚加入了国际海事组织的“防止船舶造成污染国际公约”，这是涵盖船舶各类污染的主要国际协议。该规定（MARPOL附则VI，第14条）适用于所有船舶，不仅适用于国际航行船舶，也适用于国内航行船舶。根据联合国贸易和发展会议的数据，印度尼西亚在2018年为9,053艘各类船舶提供了登记。 

 新加坡船舶经纪公司BRS Baxi的董事总经理Ashok Sharma表示，“印度尼西亚的举动可能会对IMO 2020产生影响，但就地理覆盖范围而言，规模可能会微不足道。”