On 1 January 2020 vessel owners must have made the decision to install exhaust gas scrubbers or to burn low sulphur or alternative fuels. The cost implications of any decision will be difficult to predict and there is no shortage of opinions in the marketplace. To assist the shipowner, the Club has cut through the chatter and obtained expert advice from a leading marine engineering consultancy and from experts in contract law.

The Club’s Sulphur Guide provides both technical and legal advice. It explores technical considerations when making the decision between operating with low sulphur fuels and retrofitting scrubbers and explains the legal implications, both in terms of compliance and in relation to the terms of any charterparty in place, following that decision.

The Sulphur Guide has been written in conjunction with Tony Grainger, Marine Engineer, TMC Marine; Paul Harvey, Associate, Ince & Co and Jamila Khan, Partner, Ince & Co. All are experts in their field, providing information based on real life situations they have encountered in their working lives.

Lars A Malm, Director Strategic Business Development & Client Relations says: “In this area there are many unknowns facing ship operators. Will low sulphur fuel be available? If so, what will it cost? What risks do we face in the changeover period? How can we turn this to our advantage? One thing we do know is that, at least at the beginning, the Sulphur Cap 2020 legislation will produce a two-tier charter market – scrubbers installed versus no scrubbers.

“The Sulphur Guide is aimed at providing no-nonsense information to those thinking about the effect potential modifications will have both on the operation of their vessels, and existing charterparties and charterparties entered into in the future.“

The Sulphur Guide can be downloaded here, or request your copy directly from marcom@swedishclub.com

Click here to download the press release in pdf»

For further information please contact: 
Debra Massey +44 (0) 1296 682356

Notes to Editors:
The Swedish Club was founded by shipowners in 1872 and is today a leading and diversified mutual marine insurance company, owned and controlled by its members. The Club writes Protection & Indemnity, Freight, Demurrage & Defence, Hull & Machinery, Hull Interests, Loss of Hire, War Risks, and any additional insurances required by shipowners or charterers. It also writes Hull & Machinery, War risks and Loss of Hire for Mobile Offshore Units and FPSOs.

Its head office is located in Gothenburg, Sweden, with branch offices in Piraeus, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Oslo and London.