Shipowner MTM to burn marine gasoil in 2020

Ship owner and operator MT Maritime Management (MTM) will will burn conventional marine gasoil (MGO) in order to comply with the global marine fuel sulphur regulation set to take effect in January 2020.

At least at the beginning of 2020 the compliant marine fuel MTM uses will be mostly MGO. The shipowner will choose MGO "over blends that are being promised by Shell, ExxonMobil, BP and others…We are not so confident about these [blends] at this time," MTM's senior VP of group operations Don Carroll told the audience at the ShippingInsight's Fleet Optimization & Innovation conference held in Stamford, Connecticut on 17 October.

Carroll does not think that the 0.5pc sulphur marine blends that the different suppliers make will be compatible. If MTM buys fuel from a certain supplier, they may have to continue to use only that supplier's fuel. He noted that a 0.5pc sulphur bunker blend could work on one vessel, but not work on another. The vessel engine manufacturer has to be consulted before any unconventional 0.5pc sulphur marine fuel blends are used.

MTM owns 28 chemical tankers, ranging in size from 19,717-35,650 deadweight (dwt), four oil tankers ranging in size from 44,996 to 49,746 dwt and 15 dry bulk vessels ranging from 33,000 to 39,848 dwt, in addition to chartered dry bulk vessels.