Indonesia’s ministry of transportation has confirmed that the country will not enforce the upcoming IMO 2020 rule on its domestic fleet due to the high cost of cleaner fuel, reports said.

Indonesian authorities will allow Indonesian-flagged vessels to continue burning bunker fuels with a maximum sulphur content of 3.5% in territorial waters beyond 2020, Reuters reported.

From 1 January 2020 under the IMO global regulation, all ships will have to burn bunker fuels with a maximum sulphur content of 0.5%, down from the current cap of 3.5%.

“Fuel price for fuel with a maximum of 0.5% is more expensive and will increase operational cost of the ship, that will affect the logistics costs and prices of goods,” an official told Reuters.

“We always put forward national interest as consideration in making the decision,” the official added.

Indonesian-flagged ships plying international routes, however, will need to comply with the IMO Marpol Annex VI regulation on curbing sulphur emissions from ships. Foreign-flagged vessels in Indonesian waters will also need to comply with IMO 2020.

The IMO Marpol Annex VI regulation applies to all ships, both international voyage ships and domestic voyage ships.