日本首次成功在沿海船舶使用符合IMO船用燃料

据普氏能源资讯7月8日日本报道，日本运输部周一表示，日本首次符合国际海事组织2020新规的船用燃料试验在国内沿海船舶上顺利进行，这一举措加快了低硫船用燃料商业供应的步伐。

日本国土交通省MLIT表示，其试验旨在确保国内航运业对海洋燃料的严格硫含量规则的准备工作和程度，此前该国“预计金秋开始将全面启用符合IMO标准的燃料供应船只”。

从6月27日开始为期一周的试验中，MLIT表示已确认在使用高硫船用燃料油的四艘沿海船舶上改变、混合和使用硫含量低于0.5%的船用燃料油并未遇到任何问题。

国际海事组织规定的全球船用燃料硫含量将从1月1日起从目前的3.5%降至0.5%。这适用于已经限制为0.1%的指定排放控制区域之外。如果船东继续燃烧高硫燃料油，他们将不得不燃烧更清洁、更昂贵的燃料或安装脱硫装置以符合规定。

在第一次试验中，包括钢材和水泥运输船在内的四艘沿海船舶加注了日本东京湾一家未公开的国内炼油厂生产的符合IMO标准的船用燃料油。

MLIT仍打算在7月底左右对不同类型的沿海船只进行更多试验。

普氏能源资讯于6月3日报告称，MLIT正在考虑在与经济、贸易和工业部合作的框架下运行试验，以便在国内沿海船舶上使用当地炼油厂的船用燃料。

最新的试验是在MLIT、METI、日本海岸航运协会联合会和当地炼油厂已经发现混合燃料的兼容性在一项涉及当前高硫船用燃料油和符合IMO标准的低硫燃料油的测试中得到证实的。

使用出光兴产、科斯莫石油公司、JXTG 能源，昭和殼牌石油公司和Fuji Oil的样品燃料进行的测试，检验了现有HSFO与符合IMO标准的LSFO混合的兼容性。

MLIT指南还指出，日本炼油厂将能够生产和供应符合IMO标准的LSFO，硫含量低于0.5%，运动粘度超过20 CST，加注倾点低于30摄氏度。

符合IMO标准的LSFO的规格与炼油厂当前提供的HSFO品位相比，硫含量低于3.5%，运动粘度约为150 CST，倾点低于10摄氏度。

日本石油协会会长Takashi Tsukioka在5月31日表示，日本炼油商已经与当地船运公司就计划供应符合IMO标准质量的船用燃料达成了一致意见。

日本最大的炼油商JXTG 能源，占国内燃料供应量的40-50%，准备在10月份开始供应符合IMO标准的船用燃料，其母公司JXTG 控股公司的总裁Tsutomu Sugimori在5月13日表示。

Tsukioka在3月份表示，日本炼油厂将能够在10月至11月期间供应符合国际海事组织船用燃料硫含量限制规定的船用燃料。

裘寅 编译自 普氏能源资讯

原文如下：

Japan says first IMO-compliant bunker fuel trial align="justify">Japan's first trial of bunker fuel complying with the International Maritime Organization's new 2020 rules went off smoothly align="justify">The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism said its trial is aimed at ensuring the domestic shipping industry's preparations and readiness for strict sulfur regulations align="justify">In its trial for about a week from June 27, the MLIT said it has confirmed it did not face any issue to change, blend and use bunker fuel oil with less than 0.5% sulfur content align="justify">The IMO will cap global sulfur content in marine fuels at 0.5% from January 1, down from 3.5% now. This applies outside the designated emission control areas where the limit is already 0.1%. Shipowners will have to either burn cleaner, more expensive fuels or install scrubbers if they continue to burn high sulfur fuel oil, to comply with the rule.

In the first trial, the four coastal vessels comprising steel materials and cement carriers filled IMO-compliant bunker fuel oil produced in Japan by an undisclosed domestic refiner in Tokyo Bay.

The MLIT still intends to run more trials with different kinds of coastal vessels by around the end of July.

The first trial comes after S&P Global Platts reported align="justify">The latest trial comes after MLIT, METI, the Japan Federation of Coastal Shipping Associations and local refiners already found that compatibility of blending bunker fuels was proved in a test involving the current high sulfur bunker fuel oil with the IMO-compliant low sulfur fuel oil.

The test, using sample fuels from Idemitsu Kosan, Cosmo Oil, JXTG Nippon Oil & Energy, Showa Shell and Fuji Oil, examined the compatibility of including blending of the existing HSFO with the IMO-compliant LSFO.

The MLIT guidance also noted that Japanese refiners will be able to produce and supply the IMO-compliant LSFO with a sulfur content of less than 0.5%, a kinematic viscosity of more than 20 CST and a pour point of less than 30 degrees Celsius for bunkering.

The spec for the IMO-compliant LSFO compares with the current HSFO-grade supplied by the refiners for bunkering with a sulfur content of less than 3.5%, a kinematic viscosity of around 150 CST and a pour point of less than 10 C, according to the MLIT guidance.

Petroleum Association of Japan president Takashi Tsukioka said align="justify">Japan's largest refiner, JXTG Nippon Oil & Energy, which accounts for 40-50% of domestic bunker fuel supply, is ready to start supplying IMO-compliant bunker fuel by October, Tsutomu Sugimori, president of parent JXTG Holdings, said align="justify">Tsukioka said in March that Japanese refiners will be able to supply bunker fuel that complies with the IMO's sulfur limit rule for marine fuels by October-November.