The top container lines have spoken: when the 0.5% fuel-sulphur cap is implemented by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in January 2020, vessel interests expect cargo shippers to pay the extra price for compliant fuel. On 17 September, Maersk Line unveiled its new Bunker Adjustment Factor (BAF), equal to the average global fuel price multiplied by a 'trade factor' reflecting fuel-consumption variables in specific trades. The current Standard Bunker Adjustment Factor system is being abandoned because it "is based on several variable factors that are not as predictable as the new BAF", said Maersk. On 24 September, CMA CGM said that to comply with the IMO regulation, it would favour the consumption of 0.5% sulphur fuel, while using liquefied natural gas as fuel for nine newbuildings and ordering several scrubbers. It estimated that it would face an additional cost of about USD160/teu and that this "will be taken into account through the application or adjustment of fuel surcharges on a trade-by-trade basis".
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