As part of a series of initiatives aimed at bringing greater transparency to fuel costs resulting from the new IMO 2020 low-sulphur regulation, Drewry is pleased to announce the publication of its first low-sulphur reference bunker index tracker.

Underlying vessel operating cost inflation accelerated moderately in 2019 on higher repair & maintenance and insurance spend, while costs are expected to continue rising at a similar pace in 2020, according to Drewry’s latest Ship Operating Costs Annual.

With the enforcement date of the IMO 2020 low-sulphur regulation now only 6 weeks away, shippers and forwarders are starting to get their chequebooks out to help ocean carriers cover the additional cost of the cleaner, low-sulphur fuel.

Drewry and the European Shippers’ Council (ESC) have published a bunker adjustment factor indexing mechanism to help shippers monitor and control bunker charges in the run-up to and following the introduction of the IMO 2020 low-sulphur regulation.

The mood-music surrounding the container market has deteriorated further in the last three months, resulting in Drewry downgrading its outlook for world container port throughput for the current year and the rest of the five-year horizon, in its latest Container Market Annual Review and Forecast.