IMO’s sulphur cap rule has resulted in a 77% drop in SOx emissions

The International Maritime Organization, the shipping body of the United Nations, tweeted that since the January 1, 2020 start of the global sulphur cap, there has been an estimated 77% drop in sulphur oxide emissions from ships.

The run-up to the sulphur cap’s implementation was a period of intense debate about how effective it would be with the industry deeply divided over the issue of installing scrubbers onboard ships.

Up next for shipping are the twin IMO regulations – the Energy Efficient Existing Ship (EEXI) and the Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) – due to come into force on January 1 with the rules having some of the same confusing overtones to the great scrubber debates of 2019.

Attempting to provide readers with the real numbers behind what next year’s two green rules will mean for the overall global fleet and trading capacity, Splash Extra journalists spoke to many experts and analysts, combing through extensive data for a recent in-depth feature.