Scrubber retrofit delays at Chinese shipyards amid the coronavirus outbreak may cause shipowners to fall foul of an upcoming carriage ban on non-compliant fuels, officials say.
From 1 March, the IMO will not allow ships to carry non-compliant fuel unless equipped with exhaust gas scrubbers, which lower exhaust sulphur content to the compliant 0.5% limit.
Owners in violation of the ban will be subject to fines or prosecution unless they produce a fuel-oil nonavailability report (FONAR), showing they could not obtain compliant fuel.
