Marshall Islands: Low Sulfur Fuel Oil Testing Guidance

The Republic of the Marshall Islands has issued a Marine Safety Advisory, which provides guidance on the testing of Low Sulfur Marine Gas Oil fuel oil by port States in order to ensure ships are using fuel with no more than 0.10 percent sulfur content for MARPOL compliance. The advisory highlights the International Maritime Organization Circular MEPC.1/Circ.864 (Guidelines For Onboard Sampling For The Verification Of The Sulphur Content Of The Fuel Oil Used On Board Ships), issued in December. It also advises that plans should designate a ship’s representative responsible for retaining and securing the spot sampling container in accordance with Article 6 of EU Decision 2015/253. The document is available here.