2 November 2012: The Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) has announced that it is actively promoting the transition to cleaner diesel fuel, encouraging members to procure low-sulphur diesel fuel, which it says is only marginally more expensive per barrel.

According to SPC, sulphur content in fuel consumed in the Pacific is highly variable, ranging from 10ppm to 5,000ppm. The lower the sulphur content, the cleaner the fuel, and the less pollution from exhaust fumes.

SPC notes that according to Platts, the lead publisher of petroleum pricing data in the Asia-Pacific region, it will lower the sulphur specification reflected in its market assessments to 500 ppm on 2 January 2013. This means that the few Pacific Island countries and territories (PICTs) still using diesel with sulphur contents of 5,000 ppm will continue to receive this fuel, but at the price of the cleaner 500 ppm. SPC is therefore encouraging PICTs to alter their specifications to take advantage of this price incentive. [SPC Press Release]