With just over three months to go before the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) 2020 sulphur cap kicks in, the highly anticipated International Standards Organisation (ISO) specifications for compliant marine fuel have been released.
The new document is available on the ISO website and addresses quality considerations that apply to marine fuels ahead of the implementation of the maximum 0.5% sulphur cap for marine fuel by 1 January 2020.
Maritime stakeholders have been keen to view the document for clarity on actual specifications. The document defines general requirements that apply to all 0.5% fuels and covers technical considerations pertaining to characteristics such as kinematic viscosity, cold flow properties, stability, ignition characteristics and catalyst fines.
Bunker fuels with a low sulphur content are set to take up the majority of marine fuel demand once the IMO regulation is implemented.