DNV, Research & Innovation, Veritasveien 1, 1322 Høvik, Norway.
Environ Sci Technol. 2013 Jun 18;47(12):6098-101. doi: 10.1021/es4009954. Epub 2013 Jun 5.
On January 1st, 2012, the maximum limit for sulfur concentration in marine fuels on the high seas was lowered from 4.50% to 3.50% by the International Maritime Organization (IMO). It was one of a series of planned steps toward reducing the negative environmental and health impacts of international shipping. This study investigates the effectiveness of the IMO regulation in reducing global sulfur emissions. We found a reduction in global average sulfur concentration of only 0.07% points from 2011 to 2012. On the positive side, we also found that only 2.3% of the bunkerings were noncompliant in 2012, that is, exceeded the new 3.50% sulfur concentration cap. The analysis furthermore suggests that compliance with the new regulation is achieved by blending high sulfur fuel with lower sulfur fuel, rather than by removing high sulfur fuel from the market or removing the excess sulfur. The main conclusion is that the regulation has been effective in reducing the maximum sulfur concentration but has not been very effective in reducing the average sulfur concentration. Thus, the regulation may have resulted in local environmental benefits but has not resulted in global benefits with respect to global sulfur emissions from international shipping.
2012 年 1 月 1 日，国际海事组织（IMO）将公海上海洋燃料中硫浓度的最高限值从 4.50%降低至 3.50%。这是国际航运减少负面环境和健康影响的一系列计划措施之一。本研究调查了 IMO 法规在减少全球硫排放方面的有效性。我们发现，2011 年至 2012 年，全球平均硫浓度仅降低了 0.07 个百分点。积极的一面是，我们还发现，2012 年仅 2.3%的燃料加油不符合规定，即超过了新的 3.50%硫浓度上限。分析还表明，遵守新规定是通过混合高硫燃料和低硫燃料来实现的，而不是从市场上去除高硫燃料或去除多余的硫。主要结论是，该法规在降低最大硫浓度方面是有效的，但在降低平均硫浓度方面效果并不明显。因此，该法规可能在局部环境方面带来了好处，但在减少国际航运的全球硫排放方面并未带来全球效益。
