A ‘Trident Alliance’ consisting of 10 container carriers has recently welcomed Maersk Line as a new member in order to test enforcement of new low-sulphur fuel regulations.
These new regulations will be implemented in emissions control areas in Northern Europe and North America.
The alliance will work together with the governments of the Baltic Sea nations to monitor compliance by shipping lines, with the International Maritime Organisation making efforts to broadcast a reduction in sulphur content to 0.1% from the original 1%, according to the Journal of Commerce.
Maersk Group CEO Nils Smedegaard Andersen said: “The most natural thing is to talk about what’s close to home, and that is the Baltics. We hope, of course, that the governments in the area will survey very closely what our competition is doing as well, so we don’t give people a free ride.”
In order to prevent this free ride, Maersk Line has already announced low-sulphur surcharges of up to US$160 per TEU in the North Atlantic.
Smedegaard Anderson said: “We have no choice but to pass those costs along. Of course, pricing is always a matter of negotiation, but the intention is that the customer will have to pay.”
Andersen commented on Maersk’s commitment to environmental sustainability, saying: “The first month I was CEO of the group (in 2007), we went off-site for four days to ask what are the most important priorities from a group perspective. One was to improve group communications, and another was to improve our environmental footprint.”
The new low-sulphur fuel regulations are due to come into effect on January 1, 2015.
