In December, the entire fleet of ships of our company will comply with the new regulations of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) on marine fuels (bunker). It establishes, as of January 1, 2020, the limit of 0.5% sulfur in the product to replace the 3.5% currently allowed. That was the message of the director of Maritime Transport, Rogério Figueiró, during the seminar “Energy in Transition: Infrastructure and Distribution of Marine Fuels in Brazil in Compliance with IMO 2020”, held on December 3, by Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV) , in Rio de Janeiro (RJ).
In the panel that addressed the importance of changing the sulfur limits in the bunker for shipowners and operators, he detailed the transition strategies and actions that we are adopting to comply with IMO regulations, an organization linked to the United Nations (UN). “The change plan, prepared together with Petrobras, included evaluations on all ships to verify the necessary adaptations in the facilities, such as fuel filtration systems, oil purifiers and tank cleaning. As we have been receiving fuel with lower sulfur content from Petrobras since October, the transition process is being fast. In December, our entire fleet will be subject to the new regulation ”, explained Figueiró.
The event was attended by several companies and institutions in the sector, in addition to the Ministry of Mines and Energy, the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP), the Brazilian Navy, the Secretariat for Economic Development of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the Norwegian Consulate and Petrobras. The meeting also addressed issues such as refining and distribution of marine fuels; topics of legal issues and insurance and indemnity (Protection and Indemnity Insurance - P&I); market and prices; and compliance in Brazilian ports.