More than 86% of respondents to a recent survey on the IMO global 2020 sulphur cap say they will comply with the forthcoming new regulation by using gas as a fuel or low-sulphur compliant fuel oil. The global survey carried out by the Palau International Ship Registry took the views of ship owners, ship operators and those involved in the industry that will be affected by the 2020 cap.

When asked how the IMO cap would affect their business, only just over 29% thought it would affect them in some way while 37% believe it will have a positive effect on their operations. Based on the returns of 271 responses, Panos Kirnidis, CEO of Palau International Ship Registry (PISR) believes there is an almost equal split when it comes to views on the cap actually coming into force on the intended date.

“This was a surprising survey in terms of results because the responses showed that despite the concerns of many ship owners and operators who see the imposition of the cap as financially concerning, more than 37% of respondents said they would be complying with the regulations, more than 44% said they would be waiting to see how the market will react and only 18% said that their vessels would not be able to comply with the cap and be commercially viable.

“There is no doubt that the IMO cap will have a strong financial bearing on many ship owners and operators but with just over 8 months to go before it comes into force, the real issues are how to comply with the regulations. This puts pressure on ship owners who are waiting to see as compliance needs planning and preparation in terms of tank cleaning, which should commence by the middle of this year.

Our survey has shown that the industry takes these issues seriously. Despite the views in much of the maritime media about the implications for individuals it was pleasing to note that more than a third of respondents see the cap having a positive effect on their operations. As one of the world’s leading ship registries we understand our support will be even more important to ship owners in the run up to the cap and beyond.”

Copies of the PISR global survey on the IMO sulphur cap are available from (online? Or the Piraeus office?)