Implications of IMO 2020: The Potential for High Sulfur Fuel Oil Penetration in Saudi Arabia

January 1, 2020 marks the enforcement of the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) rule on limiting sulfur emissions from ships (IMO 2020). The rule mandates ships to reduce the sulfur content in their fuels to 0.5% from the current 3.5%. This suggests that ship owners and operators need to replace about 3 million barrels per day (MMb/d) of heavy fuel oil (HFO) with high sulfur content – known as high sulfur fuel oil (HSFO).