Rickmers-Linie will be one of the first shipping liners to impose a surchage following the upcoming low-sulphur ECA regulations, declaring its support for the introduction of stricter sulphur regulations but noting that they will inevitably lead to an increase in the cost of marine fuels.
Rickmers-Linie CEO, Ulrich Ulrichs, said the new regulations would further help to reduce the impact on the environment.
"But low sulphur fuels are more expensive and growing demand is widely expected to further increase the costs of these fuels," he continued.
The new regulations come into effect in January 2015 in the Emission Control Areas (ECA) in the USA and Canada, as well as the North Sea, English Channel, and the Baltic Sea.
The maximum content of sulphur allowed in marine fuels used in the ECAs will be 0.1 per cent, compared to the one per cent currently allowed.
Outside the ECAs, sulphur content in marine fuels will need to be reduced from the current 3.5 per cent to 0.5 per cent by the year 2020.
As the result of a review by the IMO in 2018, this deadline might however still be postponed to 2025.
"Rickmers-Linie fully supports the introduction of the new regulations," continued Mr Ulrichs.
"Using these fuels during navigation in the ECAs, the content of sulphur and hazardous sulphur dioxides in the exhausts of our vessels will be reduced considerably.
"However, the new regulations will inevitably mean an increase in bunker costs. So we are in the process of implementing a Low Sulphur Fuel Surcharge for quotations valid for shipments arriving to or departing from an ECA on or after January 1, 2015."
Rickmers-Linie will inform customers of the exact level of the surcharge once calculations have been finalised.