Back in January, when the International Maritime Organization implemented more stringent limits on sulfur emissions for large, ocean-going vessels, the vast majority of shipowners and charterers complied with the new rule — commonly referred to as IMO 2020 — by switching to very low sulfur fuel oil or gasoil. A few others stuck with old, higher-sulfur bunker but installed scrubbers to remove sulfur from the engine exhaust. A third option — fueling ships with LNG — is now gaining traction, in part because it could help shipping companies deal with future IMO mandates on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Orders for new-build LNG-powered vessels and LNG bunker ships are rolling in, and plans for port infrastructure to support LNG bunkering are being implemented. Today, we begin a series on the growing use of LNG in global shipping.
Our regular readers know that the IMO, a specialized agency of the United Nations, in recent years has been implementing ever-tightening rules to reduce allowable sulfur-oxide emissions from the engines that power the 50,000-plus tankers, dry bulkers, container ships, and other commercial vessels plying international waters. As we explained in Against the Wind, in January 2012, the global cap on sulfur content in bunker (marine fuel) was reduced to 3.5% from the old 4.5% (orange bar with dashed green oval in Figure 1), and on January 1, 2020, the sulfur cap was reduced to a much stiffer 0.5% (orange bar with dashed red oval). There were — and still are — even tougher standards for sulfur already in place in the IMO’s Emission Control Areas (ECAs), which started with Europe’s Baltic and North seas, then was adopted in areas within 200 nautical miles of the U.S. and Canadian coasts, with more to follow. In July 2010, the ECA sulfur limit in marine fuel was reduced to 1%, from the old 1.5% (teal bar with dashed purple oval), and in January 2015, the limit was ratcheted down again to a very stringent 0.1% (teal bar with dashed yellow circle) — a standard that remains in force within the ECAs.
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About the song
"Travelin' Clean" was written by Jimmy Buffett and Lanny Fiel, and is the second song on side B of Buffett's High Cumberland Jubilee album. It was recorded in 1971 in Berry Hill, TN, with Travis Turk producing. Buffett was signed at the time to Andy Williams's record label, Barnaby Records, which had released his Down to Earth LP in 1970. After the failure of Down to Earth to make much of an impact, Barnaby Records claimed that the masters to High Cumberland Jubilee had been lost. After Buffett signed with Dunhill Records in 1973 and enjoyed real success after the release of his Dunhill debut, A White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean, Barnaby miraculously found the master tapes and released the lost album, High Cumberland Jubilee, in 1976. The personnel on the record were: Jimmy Buffett (lead and background vocals), Lanny Fiel (guitars), Rick Fiel (bass), Paul Talbot (drums), Bergen White (trombone), Bobby Thompson (banjo), Randy Goodrum (keyboards), and Buzz Cason (keyboards and background vocals).
Jimmy Buffett is an American musician, songwriter, singer, author, actor, and businessman. In addition to his successful music career, Buffet is a best-selling author, and owns two restaurant chains, Margaritaville Cafe and Cheeseburger in Paradise, both named after hit songs of his. Buffett fans are known the world over as "Parrotheads." He has made 27 studio albums, 11 live albums, and 67 singles, and has sold over 20 million albums worldwide to date. Buffet describes his musical stylings as "Gulf and Western." He has won three Country Music Association Awards, and one ASCAP Award. His Margaritaville Cafe in Orlando, FL, once held the Guinness World Record for the largest cocktail … a margarita that measured 8,500 gallons, or about 202 barrels in oil-speak! Jimmy Buffett still tours with his Coral Reefer Band.
