Neste Oil confirmed it will launch a new low-sulfur marine bunker fuel.
Motivated by the European Union’s Sulphur Directive, the new fuel reduces the amount of sulfur found in bunker fuel to minute proportions.
It also reduces the nitrogen and particle emissions associated with marine transport.
Under the EU directive, which will come into effect in 2015, sulfur content of bunker fuel must be reduced from 1% to 0.1% in the Baltic, North Sea, and English Channel.
To accommodate the mandated change ships will have to invest in an on-board scrubber system or switch to low-sulfer bunker fuel.
Neste Oil director Olli Vesamo said:”Our aim, as part of our strategy, is to continually offer customers cleaner fuel solutions, and our new low-sulfur bunker fuel is an excellent example of our capability to meet the tightening environmental requirements.
“The new fuel is a much more highly refined product that conventional bunker fuel. As we remove virtually all the sulfur during the refining process, using it will enable ships to comply with the strict new sulfur limit due to come into force at the beginning of next year. It will also eliminate the need for owners to make major modifications to their vessels, such as installing scrubbing equipment.”
The fuel will be produced at the firm’s Porvoo and Naantali refineries before coming to market by the end of the year.
Recommended for you
