The Marpol Convention under the UN International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has imposed on carriers the use of low-sulphur bunker, starting with the Baltic Sea in May 2006 and including other areas afterwards.
The Marpol Convention covers the North Sea from 21.11.07, and the EU will include the North Sea in its SECA (Sulphur Emission Control Area) as from 11.08.07 - both requiring the use of bunker with a maximum sulphur content of 1.5 pct.
As a result of the above, we have to use the same low-sulphur bunker type as in the Baltic for our traffics
- to/from Norway
- between North Sea ports (including the English Channel)
The low-sulphur bunker is at a higher cost and we consequently have to ask our customers for contribution by also charging our
Marpol surcharge of EUR 4 per TEU
in the North Sea and Norway traffics as from 11.08.07
The above environmental initiative is extended to the North Sea and thus contributes to sea carriage having even less influence on nature and people's health.
