Russia’s market demand for marine fuel to exceed 10 million tonnes in 2020 – PM Yury Borisov

The demand for marine fuel within the internal market of Russia is to exceed 10 million tonnes in 2020 while the country's oil refining industry has a reserve for building up the production of low-sulphur fuel, Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov said at the meeting of RF Government’s Marine Board held on 19 February 2020.

According to the Federal Marine and River Transport Agency  (Rosmorrechflot), low-sulphur marine fuel is available in all ports of the Russian Federation. Transition to this fuel will not require retrofitting of ship engines, he added.

Yury Borisov reminded that the global upper limit on the sulphur content of ships' fuel oil is reduced to 0.50% from 1 January 2020 under new MARPOL requirements. The Russian Federation acceded to MARPOL in 2011.

“Meanwhile, the findings of the presidential control directorate reveal a somewhat different situation in this field, - emphasized the Deputy Prime Minister. – No sufficient measures have been taken over the eight-year period to fulfill the international obligations. Data on fuel available from different ad hoc bodies is not the same, port infrastructure is not able to ensure regular bunkering of ships, competitiveness of the domestic fleet continues decreasing.”

Having analyzed the situation in this field, the Russian President approved a list of instructions (document dated 21 December 2019, Пр – 2679), according to which the Government is to involve its Marine Board to ensure introduction of amendments into the strategic planning documents aimed at increasing the share of Russia’s commercial fleet in export/import of goods, construction and modernization of port infrastructure, building up production of marine fuel including gas fuel.