Maersk switches fuel outside Houston
SHIPPING: Starting in August, Maersk Line vessels will switch to low-sulphur fuel, at least 24 nautical miles from the shore as they approach Houston, Texas. This is the first extended use of low-sulphur fuels in the region.
The current initiative follows a similar voluntary program in California, which, since its inception in March 2006, has resulted in praise to Maersk Line from both government and environmental organisations.
In Texas, the Port of Houston and Maersk Line have together received a US federal grant to reimburse up to USD 1.48 million to cover all fuel cost differences during port calls to Houston between August 2010 and March 2012.
"The funding will pay the differential costs as Maersk Line vessels switch from high-sulphur bunker fuel to lower-sulphur marine gas oil", Maersk Line's North America's Director of Environment, Lee Kindberg.says.
Source: fis.com / maritimedanmark.dk
