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The Korea Coast Guard (KCG) announced on Dec. 11 that it would strongly urge domestic vessels to comply with a new limit on the sulphur content in the fuel oil.
In accordance with Article 42 of the Enforcement Decree of the Prevention of Marine Pollution Act, the sulphur content in heavy oil shall be 0.5% or less (from 3.5%) for ships sailing only in territorial waters. The new regulation is set to be applied to individual ships gradually starting from the their regular inspection dates in 2021.
Meanwhile, the enhanced limt on the sulphur content in the fuel oil used on board ships came into force on Jan. 1, 2020.
In December, the KCG will inform crew members, shipping companies and ship owners of the new limit so that they can comply with it.
Moreover, it plans to carry out a special crackdown on the new sulfur content standard from January to March next year. Under the Prevention of Marine Pollution Act, a violation of the sulfur content standard may result in imprisonment of up to one year or a fine of up to 10 million won.
“The government is working hard to reduce fine dust by implementing the seasonal fine dust management system from December this year to March next year. In order to reduce fine dust in coastal areas such as ports, related industries are required to abide by the new regulations,” said an officer of the KCG.
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