Marine fuel regulation change to create African winners and losers
The African upstream may be well placed to benefit from IMO 2020, but it poses significant wider risks to the region
The new International Maritime Organisation (IMO) regulations changing the quality of shipping fuel from January 2020 will have a global effect on oil prices. And the impact of the new regulations on the African oil sector in particular will be profound, given the mix of lower and higher sulphur in oil production in different production centres. Further downstream, there are generally fewer complex refineries in Africa; there are government subsidies for road transport fuels; there is a higher dependence on imported fuels (which are expected to increase in price); and a higher proportion of power generation fed by high sulphur fuels. The challenges posed by the new regulations should be unde
Also in this section
27 February 2026
LNG would serve as a backup supply source as domestic gas declines and the country’s energy system comes under stress during periods of low hydropower output and high energy demand
27 February 2026
The assumption that oil markets will re-route and work around sanctions is being tested, and it is the physical infrastructure that is acting as the constraint
27 February 2026
The 25th WPC Energy Congress to take place in tandem as part of a coordinated week of high-level ministerial, institutional and industry engagements
27 February 2026
The deepwater sector must be brave by fast-tracking projects and making progress to seize huge offshore opportunities and not become bogged down by capacity constraints and consolidation
