General requirements
(1) The sulphur content
of any fuel oil used on board ships shall not exceed 4.5% m/m.
(2) The world-wide average
sulphur content of residual fuel oil supplied for use on board ships
shall be monitored taking into account guidelines to be developed
by the Organization.*
Requirements within SOx emission control areas
(3) For the purpose of this
regulation, SOx emission control areas shall include:
|
(a) |
the Baltic Sea area as defined
in regulation 10(1)(b) of
Annex I, the North Sea area as defined in regulation 5(1)(f)
of Annex V; and |
|
(b) |
any other sea area, including
port areas, designated by the Organization in accordance with
criteria and procedures for designation of SOx emission
control areas with respect to the prevention of air pollution
from ships contained in appendix III
to this Annex. |
(4) While ships are within
SOx emission control areas, at least one of the following
conditions shall be fulfilled:
|
(a) |
the sulphur content of fuel oil
used on board ships in a SOx emission control area does not
exceed 1.5% m/m; |
|
(b) |
an exhaust gas cleaning system,
approved by the Administration taking into account guidelines
to be developed by the Organization,
is applied to reduce the total emission of sulphur oxides from
ships, including both auxiliary and main propulsion engines,
to 6.0 g SOx/kW·h or less calculated as the
total weight of sulphur dioxide emission. Waste streams from
the use of such equipment shall not be discharged into enclosed
ports, harbours and estuaries unless it can be thoroughly documented
by the ship that such waste streams have no adverse impact on
the ecosystems of such enclosed ports, harbours and estuaries,
based upon criteria communicated by the authorities of the port
State to the Organization. The Organization shall circulate
the criteria to all Parties to the Convention; or |
|
(c) |
any other technological method
that is verifiable and enforceable to limit SOx emissions
to a level equivalent to that described in sub-paragraph (b)
is applied. These methods shall be approved by the Administration
taking into account guidelines to be developed by the Organization. |
(5) The sulphur content of fuel oil referred to
in paragraph (1) and paragraph (4)(a)
of this regulation shall be documented by the supplier as required
by regulation 18 of this Annex.
(6) Those ships using separate fuel oils to comply
with paragraph (4)(a) of this regulation shall
allow sufficient time for the fuel oil service system to be fully
flushed of all fuels exceeding 1.5% m/m sulphur content prior to
entry into a SOx emission control area. The volume of
low-sulphur fuel oils (less than or equal to 1.5% sulphur content)
in each tank as well as the date, time, and position of the ship
when any fuel-changeover operation is completed, shall be recorded
in such log-book as prescribed by the Administration.
(7) During the first 12 months immediately following
entry into force of the present Protocol, or of an amendment to
the present Protocol designating a specific SOx emission
control area under paragraph (3)(b) of this regulation,
ships entering a SOx emission control area referred to
in paragraph (3)(a) of this regulation or designated
under paragraph (3)(b) of this regulation are exempted
from the requirements in paragraphs (4) and (6)
of this regulation and from the requirements of paragraph (5)
of this regulation insofar as they relate to paragraph (4)(a)
of this regulation.
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