ExxonMobil Readies IMO 2020 Compliant Fuel

ExxonMobil said that all its International Maritime Organization (IMO) compliant 0.5% sulfur bunker fuels developed to date are residual grades.

The oil giant  has also announced specification details and confirmed that the formulations are all compatible with each other, provided that bunkering, storage and handling best practice guidance is followed.

All of ExxonMobil’s announced low sulphur compliant fuels will be residual grades and will also be compatible with each other, provided best practice guidance for bunkering, handling and storage is followed, it said.

It said the fuel will be available prior to the IMO deadline at Antwerp, Rotterdam, Genoa, Marseilles, Singapore, Hong Kong and Laem Chabang in Thailand. Additional locations, including North America, and products will be announced during 2018.

The specifications of the fuels will range from RMD 80 to RMG 380, with a density of between 900 and 970 at 15 degrees Celsius. Catalytic fine content will meet the level set out in ISO 8217:2017.

The combination of the above characteristics aim to make sure that vessel operators can continue to operate their main engines, auxiliary engines and boilers efficiently when they switch over to low sulphur fuels.

Luca Volta, Marine Fuels Venture Manager, ExxonMobil said: " It is crucial that operators have access to not just compliant fuels, but quality compliant fuels prior to the IMO deadline. We are continuing to work on new streams that will provide availability to additional ports and markets."

According to ExxonMobil, the fuels have all undergone rigorous fit-for-use assessments.

When the IMO's global bunker sulfur limit drops to 0.5% from 3.5% at the start of 2020, most of the world's shipowners are expected to comply by switching from high sulfur fuel oil to new 0.5% sulfur blends being developed by refiners, but few details have emerged about the new fuels, prompting concerns about their compatibility.