The Vietnamese government has confirmed that vessels using marine diesel with more than 0.25% sulphur content will be banned from the country's waters from January 2016.

The government approved a proposal from the science and technology ministry that will instate a blanket ban on the fuel across the country in an aim to reduce lower quality fuels being fraudulently sold as higher grades.

Import contracts for high-sulphur diesel will be used up by the end of 2015, according to a statement released by the government.