MOSCOW, April 24 (Reuters) - Russia and its partners

inside the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) have agreed to continue

high-sulphur bunker fuel usage and production for vessels inside

the bloc until the end of 2026, the Eurasian Economic Commission

(EEC) said on its website.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO), of which

Russia is a member, implemented a 0.5% sulphur content limit for

bunker fuel internationally from 2020, in one of main changes

for the marine industry in recent years.

However, the EEU has been slow to implement the limit for

its domestic water-borne transport, which allows its refineries

to continue high-sulphur fuel sales.

"Until the end of 2026, for vessels involved in

transportation inside the Union, production of bunker fuel with

sulphur content of 1.5% has been allowed to continue", the EEC

said in its statement.

The EEC is a legal authority acting inside the EEU which

includes Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia and Belarus.

Initially, bunker fuel output and use inside the EEU was

expected to be limited to only 0.5% sulphur content from the

beginning of 2024 in line with international standards.

The recent change in EEU regulations was implemented by the

EEC at the end of November 2023.

Russia and the EEU, which were initially expected to

implement the same change for inland waters, said the

regulations would be postponed for three years.

The latest postponement to the sulphur content limit

regulation for bunker fuel, marks the second such delay by

Russia and the EEU to the regulations.

The EEC said the rules were amended after a Russian proposal

to guarantee stable functioning of local logistics schemes,

including supplying goods to regions like the Far North.

Russia's Ministry of Transport did not respond to a Reuters

request for a comment.