Marine fuel

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The fuel in today's ocean-going ships consists mainly of a mixture of heavy fuel oil (or Bunker-C ), which is a waste product from the refining of petroleum , and diesel oil . Furthermore, the higher quality and therefore much less air polluting, but more expensive MDO ( marine diesel oil ) is used for smaller seagoing vessels . Sulfur-reduced inland diesel is similar to car diesel, which can be pumped without heating.

The jargon is called heavy oil admixed diesel oil IFO ( I ntermediate F uel O il ). This fuel is classified according to its viscosity . There are the types IFO 180, 380 and 580, whereby the viscosity increases with increasing numbering. At a temperature of 15 ° C, IFO has a bitumen-like consistency. In order to be able to pump it, heating coils are embedded in the bunker , which heat the IFO to a temperature of 50 to 60 ° C.

Worldwide, shipping is responsible for the emission of around one billion tons of carbon dioxide annually, which corresponds to 3% of all man-made CO ₂ emissions. It also causes around 15% of global nitrogen oxide emissions and 13% of sulfur dioxide emissions , and the trend is rising. This is accompanied by damage to the environment and health , especially in heavily polluted port cities or metropolitan areas near port areas, where ship emissions are among the most important sources of pollution.

Compared to other fuels, the marine fuel had a high sulfur content. A limit value of 3.5% sulfur content has applied to heavy fuel oil since 2010 , and 1% in sulfur-controlled zones. This has been reduced and, from January 1, 2020, ships worldwide will only be allowed to use low-sulfur fuel. The ship's fuel may then only contain 0.5 percent sulfur. On the North and Baltic Seas, in German ports and many coastal areas, a limit of 0.1 percent has been in force for some time.

Individual evidence

1. ^ Winkel et al .: Shore Side Electricity in Europe: Potential and environmental benefits . In: Energy Policy . tape 88 , 2016, p. 584–593 , doi : 10.1016 / j.enpol.2015.07.013 .
2. ↑ [1] , VDR, accessed on February 14, 2020