Train or Ship: African Ports Threatened by Cleaner Fuel Targets

In just six months, the world's ocean freight fleet will have to switch to cleaner fuel, and ports around the world are gearing up for change.

In January, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) will set a new benchmark for the bunker fuel used by the vast majority of ships to propel themselves to the other side of the oceans.

Sulfur in ship emissions has to be brought down from the current world limit of 3.5% to half a percent. Ships are a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. A report published in June by the European Federation for Transport and the Environment (T & E) bears witness to this: Carnival, the world's leading operator of luxury cruises, has emitted nearly 10 times more sulfur oxide on European shores than the 260 million European cars 2017

"Luxury cruise ships are floating cities fueled by the dirtiest fuel possible," said Faig Abbasov, T & E's Maritime Policy Officer. "Cities rightly ban dirty diesel cars, but they give a free pbad to cruise companies that emit toxic fumes that cause immeasurable damage to both those on board and on the nearby shores. This is unacceptable. "

It's not just cruise ships that pollute. According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, some 53,000 merchant ships sail the seas. More than 90% of global production, from food products to manufactured goods to minerals, is transported by sea at some point to the customer.

To do this, the global freight fleet needs 300 million tons of fuel oil, giving the international shipping industry about the same carbon footprint as Germany, said the IMO. That is the heavy fuel that ships use, a substance similar to diesel. Most of the time, it is cheaper to acquire and increase the results of a transportation company.

Air pollution silently kills children. And especially in Africa, we know that the problem is serious, we do not know how serious it is.

Henrietta Fore, Unicef

For example, fuel oil is trading at around $ 52 per barrel, while Brent crude oil costs about $ 66 per barrel. The trade-off is the higher level of pollutants in fuel oil, which new regulations aim to limit.

"These new regulations are good for human health and for the environment," said Guy Platten, secretary general of the International Chamber of Shipping. "We strongly recommend that shipowners prepare an implementation plan for each of their vessels using the template approved by the IMO."

For trade directed towards Africa, the question is whether the 172 ports bordering the continent are ready. Only a handful of them has adequate refining capacity, mainly in North Africa.

For the most part, petroleum products, including bunker fuel, must come from international markets and be imported. South Africa, one of the few countries with national refining capacity, is preparing for change, according to the country's Maritime Safety Authority (MSA).

"All systems are moving in this direction and this is an important and far-reaching bill," said Acting General Manager of MSA Sobantu Tilayi. "What we must now do as a country is to put in place the necessary regulations to implement the process from January 2020."

However, the country is still in the phase of detailed definition of the plan, such as the good management of the ships entering the South African ports without the compliant fuel, the availability of facilities to test the fuels used by the ships and handling. vessels using non-compliant fuels but equipped with sulfur reduction equipment.

Meetings are now underway with shipping companies, fuel suppliers and IMO to finalize them, Tilayi added. It is unclear, however, whether the country will meet the January 2020 deadline.

It will probably be difficult to ensure compliance across the continent. Few African countries are paying attention to levels of air pollution, despite warnings that conditions are deteriorating as cities develop. According to the United Nations Children 's Fund (Unicef), only 6% of African children live in areas monitoring airborne emissions.

"Air pollution silently kills children," said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore. "And especially in Africa, we know the problem is serious, we just do not know how bad it is."

It already seems that children are exposed to toxins in the harmful air.

"Reducing children's exposure to pollutants – and thus the damage done to children's health and early brain development – begins with a reliable understanding of the quality of the air they breathe. "

Few African countries have the technical resources to monitor emissions on land, let alone bunker fuel.

As a result, African ports could lose because of international ships that avoid them. Although African countries such as Nigeria and Ghana produce oil, bunker fuel comes from refineries in Europe and the Mediterranean, said Natalie Gupta, an independent port consultant based in the United Kingdom.

The immediate challenge will be to ensure that vessels calling at African ports have access to compliant fuel.

As a result, ports in the region could suffer a negative impact in terms of reducing bunkering of ships in these ports, "she says. "The question then becomes whether vessels can, under more extreme circumstances, decide not to call at these ports, preferring different routes according to their new bunkering considerations".

The irony is that a large portion of the oil exported by African countries is considered ultra sweet (low in sulfur) and can potentially be turned into an unmixed compliance fuel, notes Ms. Gupta. Just under 50% of African oil is light and sweet, and nearly 30% is medium and sweet in terms of quality. Both grades have a sulfur content of less than half a percent sulfur – the new standard.

By the way, this could increase Africa's demand for cleaner oil from shipping companies around the world, which would increase the price of this type of crude oil, thereby benefiting the region. in terms of revenue from sales.

Nevertheless, the lack of refining capacity means that it is unlikely that many African ports will supply bunker fuel locally. Some even fear that with about 4 million barrels of high-sulfur bunker fuel produced in the world today, the dirtiest fuel will reach Africa and be burned in oil-fired power plants.

Many African cities depend on older generators fueled with oil to provide electricity. They would be willing to buy low-sulfur bunker fuel cheaper if it were put on the market.

The immediate challenge will be to ensure that vessels calling at African ports have access to compliant fuel. The continent attracts many of the world's largest vessels, particularly bulk freighters carrying resources such as iron ore, copper and agricultural products to international destinations.

Fortunately, many African ports have planned or are in the process of modernizing, particularly in West Africa, where bunkering services are concentrated. Ms. Gupta said it was now essential that these upgrades also incorporate the new standard for reducing sulfur content.