Mediterranean Shipping Co is disputing an alleged breach of the IMO's ban on carrying high sulphur fuel oil (HSFO) in the United Arab Emirates.
The country's Federal Transport Authority (FTA) for land and maritime said in a circular on Monday that the 9,200-teu boxship MSC Joanna (built 2006) would be banned from its ports and waters for a year.
The vessel's master has also been prohibited from entering the country on any other ship.
The measure is believed to be the first reported ban relating to the HSFO carriage legislation, which came into effect on 1 March.
Only scrubber-fitted ships can carry HSFO as part of the IMO 2020 regulations to enforce the use of low-sulphur fuels.
Clarksons lists the vessel as due to be fitted with a scrubber early in 2021.
The FTA said legal action will be launched against the captain for breach of international and UAE maritime law.
The agency's statement said the ship was found to be carrying more than 700 tonnes of HSFO when it was boarded at Jebel Ali, despite repeated warnings to de-bunker the non-compliant fuel before docking.
The vessel was ordered to unload the HSFO before departing to comply with the ban.
Left without permission
But the FTA said it failed to do so and left without port state control authority permission.
It is understood MSC is disputing the breach and that the HSFO was being carried in a sealed tank.
It was not being used to propel the ship but was intended for use in future testing of a new scrubber system.
A spokesperson for MSC said: "MSC is fully committed to implementing the UN IMO 2020 low-sulphur regime and all vessels requiring compliant fuel were supplied in advance of the implementation date, including MSC Joanna.
"MSC has also made – and is still making – significant investments in the fleet with the installation of IMO-approved exhaust gas cleaning systems (EGCS)."
He added: "We are closely investigating how it came about that the traditional marine fuel for EGCS installation testing was left on board the MSC Joanna in a sealed tank during its recent UAE port calls, as EGCS installation on this vessel has been delayed several months this year.
"MSC Joanna has used only compliant low-sulphur fuel since IMO 2020 came into effect.”
AIS data shows MSC Joanna departed Jebel Ali on 13 March and was underway off its next port of call in Mundra, India, on Monday.
The FTA has been asked to provide further information.
TradeWinds has reported that owners were struggling to dispose of HSFO on board vessels in some markets as the ban took effect, although the overall compliance level was expected to be high.
Industry participants reported that shipowners have often needed to pay for disposal in North Europe and the US, after facing regulatory and logistical challenges.
“It's subject to the legislation in different countries. There are some countries that do not allow de-bunkering at sea,” KPI Bridge Oil chief executive Soren Holl told TradeWinds.
In those cases, the fuel has to be dealt with as waste oil, he said.
Kishore Rajvanshy, Fleet Management managing director, said shipowners are “paying for disposal in some parts of the world”, partly due to logistical issues.
“In North Europe, we are facing some challenges due [to the] scarcity of barges with heating coils,” he said.
