Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 13
By Sara Israfilbeyova – Trend:
The Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company (ASCO) CJSC is studying the possibility of transition to the standards of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), which will be introduced beginning from 2020, the company told Trend.
Beginning from January 1, 2020, the sulfur content in heavy fuel used on ships sailing in international waters should not exceed 0.5 percent.
In order for ships to meet these requirements, there are two ways - to replace heavy fuels with light ones or to install a special exhaust gas cleaning system (EGCS), the company noted.
Today, 14 ASCO ships are sailing in international waters [in the Azov, Black and Mediterranean seas], and the company intends to choose one of the two above-mentioned solutions.
"We are conducting research in this area, and after receiving the results, we will choose one of the two options," the company stated.
As for the ships of the company that are sailing in the Caspian Sea, the company said that the vast majority of them use diesel fuel, to which the new standards do not apply. The sulfur content in the heavy fuel used by the remaining vessels does not exceed 0.1 percent.
