News / Time pressure on carriers to decide on scrubbers or more expensive greener fuel

With just over 18 months until the IMO’s 0.5% sulphur cap regulations come into force, major container lines are undecided on their future fuel strategy.

Come 1 January 2020, ships not powered by LNG must either use more-expensive low-sulphur fuel oil (LSFO), or be fitted with an exhaust gas cleaning system (known as scrubbers) in order to continue burning heavy fuel oil (HFO).

Carriers know that decisions reached in the next few months will shape their financial future – for example, Hapag-Lloyd’s bunker ...