RESOLUTION MEPC.326(75)
(adopted on 20 November 2020)
2020
GUIDELINES FOR MONITORING THE WORLDWIDE AVERAGE SULPHUR CONTENT OF FUEL OILS
SUPPLIED FOR USE ON BOARD SHIPS
THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION COMMITTEE,
RECALLING Article 38(a) of the Convention on the International
Maritime Organization concerning the functions of the Marine Environment
Protection Committee (hereafter "the Committee") conferred upon it by
international conventions for the prevention and control of marine pollution
from ships,
RECALLING ALSO that at its sixty-first session, the Committee
adopted the 2010 Guidelines for monitoring the worldwide average sulphur
content of fuel oils supplied for use on board ships by resolution MEPC.192(61), which
were subsequently amended by resolution MEPC.273(69),
RECALLING FURTHER that, at its seventieth session, the Committee
adopted resolution MEPC.280(70),
Effective date of implementation of the fuel oil standard in regulation
14.1.3 of MARPOL Annex VI, confirming "1 January 2020" as the
effective date of implementation for ships to comply with global 0.50% m/m
sulphur content of fuel oil requirement,
RECOGNIZING the need to revise the 2010 Guidelines for
monitoring the worldwide average sulphur content of fuel oils supplied for use
on board ships resulting from the entry into force of the 0.50% m/m sulphur
content limit on 1 January 2020 and the potential types of fuel oils which
would be used to comply with this limit,
NOTING that regulation 14.2 of MARPOL Annex VI requires that the
worldwide average sulphur content of residual fuel oil supplied for use on
board ships shall be monitored taking into account guidelines developed by the Organization,
HAVING CONSIDERED, at its seventy-fifth session, the
recommendation made by the
Secretariat,
1 ADOPTS the 2020
Guidelines for monitoring the worldwide average sulphur content of fuel oils
supplied for use on board ships, as set out in the annex to the present
resolution;
2 URGES Member
Governments and interested organizations to make available the resources and
expertise necessary for the implementation of the Guidelines;
3 INSTRUCTS the
Secretariat to use the method set out in these Guidelines when monitoring the
annual worldwide average sulphur content of fuel oils supplied for use on board
ships; and
4 REVOKES the
Guidelines adopted by resolution MEPC.192(61) as amended, as from this date.
ANNEX
2020 GUIDELINES FOR MONITORING THE WORLDWIDE AVERAGE SULPHUR
CONTENT OF FUEL OILS SUPPLIED FOR USE ON BOARD SHIPS
Preface
1 The primary
objective of the Guidelines is to establish an agreed method to monitor the
average sulphur contents of fuel oils supplied for use on board ships taking
into account the sulphur limit as required by regulation 14 of MARPOL Annex VI.
Introduction
2 The basis for
these Guidelines is provided in regulation 14.2 of MARPOL Annex VI. While
regulation 14.2 of MARPOL Annex VI only refers to residual fuel, it was agreed
to also monitor the average sulphur content of distillate fuel.
3 Following the
entry into force of the 0.50% m/m sulphur content limit on 1 January 2020, MEPC
74 recognized that some of the compliant fuel oils may fall within the residual
fuel category whereas other compliant fuel oils may fall within the distillate
fuel category, thus agreed that the worldwide average sulphur content should be
monitored as a consequence of the sulphur limits required by regulation 14 of
MARPOL Annex VI.
4 In view of the
above, the three following categories should be used for monitoring the
worldwide average sulphur contents of fuel oil:
.1 fuel oil not
exceeding 0.10%;
.2 fuel oil not
exceeding 0.50%, but above 0.10%; and
.3 fuel oil exceeding
0.50%.
Definitions
5 For the purpose of
these Guidelines the following definitions should apply:
.1 Residual fuel:
Fuel
oil for combustion purposes delivered to and used on board ships with a
kinematic viscosity at 40°C greater than 11.00 centistokes1 (mm2/s).
.2 Distillate fuel:
Fuel
oil for combustion purposes delivered to and used on board ships with a
kinematic viscosity at 40°C lower than or equal to 11.00 centistokes1
(mm2/s).
_________________
1 Reference is made to ISO
8217:2012.
.3 Provider of
sampling and testing services:
A
company that, on a commercial basis, provides testing and sampling services of
bunker fuels delivered to ships for the purpose of assessing quality parameters
of these fuels, including the sulphur content.
.4 Reference value Aws_ECA:
The
value of the worldwide average sulphur content for the total fuel oil
(distillate and residual) with a sulphur content not exceeding 0.10% supplied
for use on board ships, based on the first 3 years of data collected and as
determined on the basis of paragraphs 6 to 12 of these Guidelines.
.5 Reference value Aws_Non-ECA:
The
value of the worldwide average sulphur content for the total fuel oil (distillate
and residual) with a sulphur content not exceeding 0.50%, but above 0.10%,
supplied for use on board ships, based on the first 3 years of data collected
and as determined on the basis of paragraphs 6 to 12 of these Guidelines.
.6 Reference value Aws_regulation4:
The
value of the worldwide average sulphur content for the total fuel oil
(distillate and residual) with a sulphur content exceeding 0.50% supplied for
use on board ships, based on the first 3 years of data collected and as
determined on the basis of paragraphs 6 to 12 of these Guidelines.
Monitoring and calculation of yearly and 3-year rolling averages
Monitoring
6 Monitoring should
be based on calculation of average sulphur content of combined residual and
distillate fuels on the basis of sampling and testing by independent testing
services. Restarting for year 2020 the average sulphur content of the three
categories given in paragraph 4 should be calculated. After 3 years the
reference values for monitoring will be set as described in paragraph 12.
Calculation of yearly averages
7 The basis of
monitoring is the calculation, on an annual basis, of the average sulphur
content of residual fuel and distillate fuel in each of the three categories in
paragraph 4.
8 The calculation of
the average sulphur content is executed as follows:
For a certain calendar year, the sulphur contents of the samples
analysed2 (one sample for each delivery of which the sulphur content
is determined by fuel oil analysis) are recorded. The sulphur contents of the
fuel oil samples analysed are multiplied by their corresponding mass, then
summed, and then divided by the total mass of fuel oil analysed within each
category as given in paragraph 4.
_________________
2 Reference is made to ISO
8754:2003.
9 The mathematical
formula for the method of calculation described is given in the appendix to
these Guidelines.
10 As a basis for
well-informed decisions, a graphical representation of the distribution of the
global sulphur content plotted against the quantity of fuel oils associated
with each incremental sulphur content range should be made available each year:
.1 residual and
distillate fuels for sulphur content below or equal to 1.00%: in terms of the %
sulphur in increments of 0.10%; and
.2 residual and
distillate fuels for sulphur content above 1.00%: in terms of the % sulphur in
increments of 0.50%.
Three-year rolling average
11 The 3-year
rolling averages should be calculated as follows:
Acr = (Ac1 + Ac2
+ Ac3)/3
in
which:
Acr
= rolling average
S-content of all deliveries tested over a 3-year period
Ac1,
Ac2, Ac3 =
individual average S-contents of all deliveries tested for each year under
consideration
Acr
is to be recalculated each year by adding the latest figure for Ac
and deleting the oldest.
For the calculation of yearly average, all fuel oils less than
0.05% of sulphur should be calculated as 0.03%.
Setting of the reference values
12 The reference
values of the worldwide average sulphur content for each category of fuel oil
given in paragraph 4 supplied for use on board ships should be Awx,
where x = ws_ECA, ws_Non-ECA, ws_regulation4 and Awx = Acr
as calculated in January of the year following the first 3 years in which data
were collected on the basis of these Guidelines. Aw should be
expressed as a percentage.
Providers of sampling and testing services
13 There are presently
three providers of sampling and testing services under these Guidelines.
14 Any additional
providers of sampling and testing services will be approved by MEPC in
accordance with the following criteria:
.1 be subject to the
approval of MEPC, which should apply these criteria;
.2 be provided with a
technical and managerial staff of qualified professionals providing adequate
geographical coverage and local representation to ensure quality services in a
timely manner;