Key Countries Aren’t Ready for Historic Ship-Fuel Switch
- About 50% of IMO members didn’t sign up for 2020 fuel switch
- Some signatories don’t have domestic laws to enforce new rules
This article is for subscribers only.
Historic rules to clean up pollution in the shipping industry are two weeks from taking effect, but there are signs that enforcing the new legislation will prove tricky.
The International Maritime Organization, part of the UN, is trying to curb the release of sulfur oxides that it says are bad for human health and contribute to acid rain. Shipowners and oil companies have spent billions of dollars getting ready. However, countries home to around 15% of the world’s oil-refining capacity have so far failed to sign up to the pact that’s designed to slash emissions of the pollutant starting in January.