North Sea surcharges

Below are the North Sea surcharges for March 2010

* including SECA surcharge Felixstowe/Killingholme - Vlaardingen 1.5%, 

* including SECA surcharge Harwich/Immingham - Esbjerg 1.6%

Surcharges for previous months can be downloaded from  here

Note: SECA (Sulphur Emisison Control Area) surcharges are applied as a result of the MARPOL 73/78 Protocol adopted in 1997, which sets limits on sulphur oxide and nitrogen oxide emissions from ship exhausts.The regulation contains provisions allowing for special SOx Emission Control Areas (SECAS) to be established with more stringent controls on sulphur emissions. In these areas, such as the North Sea, the sulphur content of fuel oil used onboard ships must not exceed 1.5%, calling for the need of low sulphur fuel, more expensive than the fuel which was generally utilised onboard all ferry vessels.