EMEA News
Norwegian Shipowners Use Up 50% of World's Scrubbers, Says Report
Norwegian shipowners count for half of the world's scrubber-equipped fleet, according to Clarkson.
Meanwhile, "other" European owners make up 41 percent of the scrubber fleet.
According to a report, 92 vessels, three quarters of which are less than 10 years old, have so far been reported to have sulfur oxide (SOx) scrubbers installed, which makes up 0.1 percent of the world's fleet.
Another 37 ships on order will have scrubbers installed in the future, equaling roughly 0.7 percent of the word's orderbook.
Shipowners have been scrambling to ensure compliance with upcoming Emission Control Area (ECA) regulations, which will limit sulfur content in marine fuel used in ECAs to 0.10 percent by weight beginning January 1, 2015.
In response, companies have turned to either lower sulfur alternatives such as marine gas oil (MGO), liquefied natural gas (LNG) or scrubber technology.
"With scrubber systems costing in the range of $2-4 million it's likely that the majority of shipowners will switch to MGO in the short-term, unless they are operating heavily in ECAs when scrubbers become more economic as they enable the use of Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) which is cheaper than low sulfur fuel alternatives," said the report.
Clarkson said however, that the number of scrubber installations could grow after 0.50 percent sulfur regulations are phased in.
The legislation is currently slated to take effect in 2020, though it could be pushed back to 2025 pending an International Maritime Organization (IMO) review.
