THE revised mandatory phase-out of single-hull tankers and the introduction of new regulations banning the carriage of heavy grade oil in single hulls begins today. The revised ¡®13G¡¯ regulations, agreed at the IMO in December 2003 following the sinking of the Prestige, bring forward the previously agreed phase-out schedule and specify that Category 1 tankers built before 1982 will not be able to trade from today.
Despite a handful of media reports suggesting a mass exodus of single-skins to the breakers' yards, analysts remain confident that the market will feel no major impact. Pointing out that owners have been preparing for today¡¯s implementation for several years, tanker owners' association Intertanko told Fairplay that it was not expecting any serious changes to become visible.
A spokesman said: ¡°We are not even convinced how many [of the affected tankers] are still trading= E¡± According to Intertanko statistics, 169 ships are due to be taken out of service this year, however, 142 of these are smaller vessels below 60,000dwt.