Ahead of the IMO's global sulfur regulations in 2020, leading researchers in the field project in comments to ShippingWatch that the new cap will have a significant effect on global public health.

Researchers from several Nordic universities last week presented the results of the first large-scale study of the impact of the 0.1 percent sulfur cap on Baltic sailings. According to one of the researchers behind the study, Professor at Gothenburg University Lars Barregård, the sulfur cap has improved air quality in the region to such a degree that it has prevented up to 1,000 premature deaths annually.