IMO agrees on sulphur restrictions

The Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) in IMO has decided on a gradual reduction of the sulphur content in bunker fuel. The general limit of 4.5 per cent will be reduced to 3.5 per cent and in the ECA’s, emission control areas, (formerly SECA’s), the limit will be 1.0 per cent from July 2010 and 0.1 per cent from January 1 2015. The Baltic Sea is an ECA with a current limit of 1.5 per cent.