Low Sulphur Fuel Oil (LSFO): Identification of environmental impacts in a cold marine environment

A growing number of low sulphur fuel oils (LSFOs) are being marketed as a result of new international rules to reduce the sulphur content of ship fuels. This project aims to strengthen the knowledge base on environmental fate and behaviour of LSFO spills in cold seawater. The project includes laboratory experiments to investigate the effectiveness of combating LSFO spills by in-situ burning and chemical dispersion, and the potential for biodegradation. The results indicated that the LSFOs tested had a limited potential of natural and chemical dispersion, were ignitable and that between 20-50% were biodegraded in cold seawater. Overall, the results indicate that the tested LSFOs likely have a high degree of persistence on the sea surface and shoreline even when chemical dispersion or in-situ burning is attempted.