Shipping—let battle commence
Competition to provide ships with a low-sulphur alternative will hot up as the IMO deadline approaches. It's not clear which fuel will win
The battle between competing fuels for shares of the marine propulsion market when the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) 0.5% sulphur-fuel content limit becomes effective in 2020 is heating up. On current trends, fuel oil may well maintain its primacy over marine gasoil and new competitor liquefied natural gas. International organisations pondering the outlook for the marine fuels market, which is estimated to account for up to 5m barrels a day of world oil use, have differed on the outlook for fuel oil demand. Marine fuel oil use accounts for about 63% of world fuel oil consumption, and quality restrictions on fuels used by land-based consumption will likely increase that proporti
Also in this section
24 December 2025
As activity in the US Gulf has stagnated at a lower level, the government is taking steps to encourage fresh exploration and bolster field development work
23 December 2025
The new government has brought stability and security to the country, with the door now open to international investment
23 December 2025
A third wave of LNG supply is coming, and with it a likely oversupply of the fuel by 2028
22 December 2025
Weakening climate resolve in the developed world and rapidly growing demand in developing countries means peak oil is still a long way away
