ISO releases the latest specification for IMO 2020 low sulphur fuel

In order to eliminate the uncertainty of the specifications of IMO 2200 new low-sulfur fuel, ISO finally issued the relevant specifications. Recently, in collaboration with shipowners, classification societies, fuel traders, fuel suppliers and fuel inspection agencies, ISO published 23263:2019 Public Availability Specification (PAS) on its official website.

Previously, all parties concerned in the shipping industry had been expecting the PAS to be released in August this year.

ISO states that ships worldwide will start using low-sulfur fuels with sulfur content not exceeding 0.5% starting from January 1, 2020. This document focuses on the relevant issues concerning the specification of low-sulfur fuels. It defines General requirements applicable to all 0.5% sulphur fuels and confirms the applicability of its previous document ISO8217 to these fuels. Technical considerations that may be applicable to specific fuels include kinematic viscosity, cold flow characteristics, stability, ignition characteristics and catalyst particle CATFINE.