China to Strengthen Supply of Low Sulphur Marine Fuel Oil

China is to improve quality of low sulphur marine fuel oil, strengthen the capability to supply and propel green transport via national policies, the government’s supervision and industry players’ self-discipline, as detailed in Guiding Opinions on Strengthening Supply of and Supervision on Low Sulphur Marine Fuel Oil recently issued by 13 national departments such as the Ministry of Transport of China.
China has taken many measures to reduce ship emissions like Plan to Specify Control Areas for Ship Emissions in Pearl River Delta, Yangtze River Delta and water column around Bohai Sea (Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei) that has been implemented. The international convention proposes to use low sulphur marine fuel oil by 2020. At present, ensuring supply of such oil is vital for China to control air pollution arising from ship emissions.
The new document calls for establishing basic supply systems for low sulphur marine fuel oil, and enacting related policies in this year and next to help domestic refineries produce qualified products and ensure a stable supply. Meanwhile, port operation permits of marine fuel oil suppliers are to be cancelled, and they are allowed to conduct cross-regional operation. Further, the government is to make new and revise existing criteria regarding marine fuel oil, and tries to complete revision work of Marine Fuel Oil, General Diesel Fuels, etc. in 2019, which will optimize quality index and provide technical bases for supervision.
Supervision is to be strengthened to crack down on illegal behaviors, like selling unqualified marine fuel oil, and to help the market develop soundly. In detail, the supervision on production, sale, purchase and use of marine fuel oil is to be more stringent since 2018. Further, supervision departments are to cooperate more frequently, and establish a joint supervision system in 2018, involving many links like production, transaction and application of marine fuel oil. They are also to establish reporting systems, and disclose information to the public regularly.