The 2015 low-sulphur rules for shipping could lead to huge safety problems if owners fail to prepare for the changes.

Head of maritime and deputy chief executive at Norwegian class society Det Norske Veritas, said owners were unaware of the risks of accidents such as blackouts, groundings and fuel leaks if engineswere not adapted to use low-sulphur fuels.

Over the next decade owners face a range of technology challenges that will force them to install new equipment that is asyet unproven, or use new fuel types to remain compliant.

He highlighted the issues that owners faced in 2008 when the European Commission imposed a similar 0.1% sulphur limit on fuels for vessels in European ports.

He said he had to step into the debate then for the same reasons. The commission needed to understand the risks they could be forcing owners to take. The commission eventually agreed to a softer approach to enforcement of its port rules.

The issuesof switching fuels have also been raised in the US by the California Office of Spill Prevention and Response after a dramatic 100% increase in incidents following regional low-sulphur rule changes in 2009.

In Northern Europe, shipowners are concerned that the switch to using low-sulphur distillate fuels, which they say will be more expensive, will cause a modal backshift as manufacturers in Europe switch to road rather than shortsea shipping.

    Lloyd's List 06/12/2011