Big Oil has been making moves to corner the IMO-compliant fuel market post-2020. While this could limit the number of supply sources, a fledgling market dominated by established players might not be the worst thing for vessel operators as consumers.

As the deadline for the IMO’s lower sulphur limits in global bunker fuels approaches, ExxonMobil and other majors have obtained patents for their low-­sulphur fuel oil (LSFO) products.