Asia/Pacific News
China Has No Plans to Ban Open-Loop Scrubbers: Officials
Contrary to rumour, China has no plans to ban open-loop scrubbers, two officials have said.
"I do not know where the rumour came from, but I can tell you that China is not going to ban open-loop scrubbers, as long as they are in compliance with the prevailing regulation," local media quoted Dong Leyi, state official from China Maritime Safety Administration, as telling Wei Zhuang, BIMCO's China Liaison Officer and General Manager of BIMCO, Shanghai office.
As highlighted in a recent survey by Drewry, there has been plenty of concern over a potential ban on scrubbers due to perceived environmental impacts - not that this seems to have hampered the subsequent explosion of interest in the tech.
Still, recent comments by Nikolas Tsakos, President and CEO of tanker owner Tsakos Energy Navigation Ltd (TEN) and Chairman of INTERTANKO, are a reminder that questions linger after saying earlier this month he thought there is a "very good chance" open-loop scrubbers will be banned, "and rightly so."
Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems Association (EGCSA) Director, Don Gregory, has said there is no evidence scrubber discharges cause harm to the aquatic environment.
