Emission Sulphur
DFDS' Environmental policy
The amount of sulphur particles emitted by ships' engines depends not only on the volume of fuel consumed but also on its sulphur content. In 2006, following international legislation, the permitted sulphur level in fuel oil for vessels in the Baltic Sea and the North Sea was reduced to 1.5%, compared to 4.5% elsewhere.
Targets for reductions
The targets are regularly reassessed, and the IMO has set a new limit for sulphur content. From 2015, the limit will be 0.1% in the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, compared to 0.5% elsewhere.
Scrubbers
Concerted efforts are also being made to find alternative means of reducing ships' sulphur emissions. One possibility is to install “scrubbers” in the ships’ funnels, which strip the sulphur out of waste gas.
DFDS is taking part in a development project for a newly designed scrubber, which was installed on a North Sea freight ship in summer 2009. The scrubber method offers certain advantages, as uncertainty exists about the availability and reliability of supplies of fuel oil with a maximum sulphur content of 0.1%, as well as about the price level. A scrubber will make it possible to purchase oil with a higher sulphur content. In addition, provisional test results suggest that the method may have additional environmental advantages, as it also removes particles from the waste gas.