Harboursandport.com: Lagos - The
Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) is determined to
ensure availability of marine fuels that comply with the regulation by the
International Maritime Organisation (IMO) limiting the sulphur in the fuel
oil used onboard ships to 0.50 per cent m/m (mass by
mass). Director-General of NIMASA, Dr. Bashir Jamoh, stated this on
Wednesday in Lagos at the opening of a two-day meeting of the Agency with
modular and other refinery operators and fuel oil suppliers in the country.
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l-r: Acting
Head, Marine Environment Management (MEM) Department, Nigerian Maritime
Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Mr Isa Mudi (second right),
representing the Director-General, Dr. Bashir Jamoh; Deputy Director, MEM,
NIMASA, Dr. Oma Ofodile (third right); Assistant Director, MEM, Unit Head,
Liabilities and Compensation, NIMASA, Mrs Chinyere Azike (third left);
Assistant Manager, Operations, Dangote Oil Refinery Company, Engr. Bessie
Nabena (second left); Assistant Director, Head, Climate Change Unit, MEM, Mr
Kabiru Bello (left); and President, Centre for Marine Surveyors Nigeria, Engr.
Akin Olaniyan, during stakeholders, meeting with modular refinery operators on
availability of 0.5 per cent m/m sulphur compliant bunker fuel in
Nigeria, organised by NIMASA in Lagos, Wednesday, April 14, 2021.
Jamoh, who was represented by Acting Head, Marine Environment Management (MEM) Department, NIMASA, Mr. Isa Mudi said the Agency had made a deliberate effort to conform to the new fuel oil mandate, known as IMO 2020.
Jamoh said, “As the country’s shipping regulator, we have had interfaces with the relevant stakeholders on how to reach a win-win agreement on Nigeria’s compliance with the IMO sulphur content cap. We are happy to announce that the coast is clear for us to achieve this mandate.
“Nigeria has an advantage abinitio, because we produce low sulphur crude. The challenge for us now is the conversion of this advantage to the availability of bunker fuels that meet the IMO
mandate.
“I make bold to say that we have all it takes to be the bunker fuel hub
for Sub-Saharan Africa. There is a $2 billion bunker fuel market in Sub-Saharan
Africa waiting to be harnessed by our businessmen and women.”
Jamoh added, “Our
refineries are not working at full capacity, and this is an opportunity for the
modular and other private refineries to come in to fill a vital gap in the
marine fuel supply chain. Bunker fuel is a critical element in the shipping
business.
“With the coming into effect of IMO 2020, we assure you as an Agency
that the country’s shipping community will be galvanised to ensure
availability, supply, and, in fact, self-sufficiency in 0.5 per cent sulphur
content fuels in line with the IMO standard.”
In their contributions, representatives of the refineries and fuel oil
suppliers pledged their cooperation with NIMASA and other relevant government
agencies in the attempt to make the required fuel accessible.
The new sulphur oxide
emissions-cutting regulations mandate a maximum sulphur content
of 0.5 per cent in marine fuels globally. The change is driven by the need to
reduce air pollution generated in the shipping industry by reducing the Sulphur content
of fuels that ships use.
The regulation came into
force on January 1, 2020, marking a significant milestone in efforts to
improve air quality, preserve the environment and protect human health.
The IMO 2020 rule limits the
sulphur in the fuel oil used onboard ships operating outside designated
emission control areas to 0.50 per cent m/m, a significant reduction from the
previous limit of 3.5 per cent. Within specifically designated emission control
areas, the limits were already stricter (0.10%). This new limit was made
compulsory following an amendment to Annex VI of the International Convention
for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL).
There was a large turnout of
refinery operators and industry stakeholders at the meeting. They included
representatives of Niger Delta Refinery (NDR), Ship Owners Association of
Nigeria (SOAN), and OPAC Refinery.
The meeting had in attendance
representatives of government agencies, including the Nigerian Ports Authority
(NPA), Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), and Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation (NNPC).
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