China has extended its emission control areas to include the entire coastline from 2019 but the move should not prove a major disruption to shipowners.
The shift, announced on 9 July, brings China closer to meeting the IMO’s global sulphur limits.
After its implementation, vessels sailing within 12 nautical miles cannot surpass 0.5% in sulphur emissions.
“China’s stricter policies for marine fuel specifications will undoubtedly play an important part in meeting the IMO 2020 global sulphur cap,” said Yujiao Lei, a consultant at Wood Mackenzie.
