Strict IMO Regulations Boost Demand for Low Sulphur Fuel in Singapore

 Demand for low sulphur bunker fuel in Singapore is expected to rise at least 20 percent this year.
Singapore is the world’s largest bunkering port by volume and a major transit port for vessels plying the route between Asia and the United States.
Low sulphur bunker fuel demand in Singapore could reach 60,000 tonnes a month this year, up from 45,000-50,000 tonnes per month last year, the survey participants said, attributing the rise to the latest emission control area 
Under regulations by United Nations shipping agency, International Maritime Organization (IMO), ships travelling to ECAs are required to burn fuel with a maximum of 1 percent sulphur content, down from the previous 3.5 percent limit.
Other two ECAs are the
1. North Sea
 2.Baltic Sea.
Sulphur limits in ECAs will be reduced to 0.1 percent in 2015, while IMO wants to slash global sulphur cap to 0.5 percent by 2020, with a possible extension to 2025 subject to a review in 2018.