Refineries in Iran Struggling to Comply With IMO Sulphur Cap

To comply with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) new regulations for a 0.5% global sulphur cap for marine fuels, refineries are making concerted efforts to lower sulphur content in mazut production, spokesman of the Iranian Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Products Exporters' Association said.
"Decreasing current sulphur level of 3.5% to 0.5% by January 2020 is a daunting task. Most refineries need to upgrade machinery and equipment," Hamid Hosseini was quoted as saying by ILNA.
Under the new global cap, ships will have to use marine fuels with a sulphur content of no more than 0.5% against the current limit of 3.5% in an effort to reduce the amount of sulphur oxide, particularly for populations living close to ports and coasts, he added.