Honest question: Why don't they employ catalytic converters? Is the amount of exhaust just too much for them to be able to practically build them, or is it simply "We haven't been told we need one, so we're not going to bother."
Small quote from the article:
Maersk Line CEO Soren Skou said in a Copenhagen
presentation yesterday that lower sulphur fuel was more
expensive and would increase the carrier’s bunker cost by
estimated $200 million a year.
You can save a massive amount of money by "ignoring" these rules. Meaning: unless it is checked, there is a huge risk of unfair competition between companies which abide by the rules and companies which do not. Especially if a company is in difficult times it needs to be checked carefully.
You'll notice that the bigger companies are ok with such rules, as long as it applies to everyone and is checked thoroughly.