Scrubbers Increasingly Seen as A "Messy" Answer to IMO 2020: Drewry

by Ship & Bunker News Team
Wednesday May 2, 2018

As shipowners continue to seek the best way to comply with the upcoming global 0.50% sulfur cap on marine fuel, scrubbers are increasingly seen as a "messy" answer, according to Drewry.

"A scrubbing system will cost roughly $4 million to install, and users will still be faced with the problem of waste disposal. Owners will also feel vulnerable to later changes in regulations that might make their scrubbers non-compliant," the consultancy says.

Scrubbers will not reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, Drewry adds, an area that is likely to come under increasing regulatory scrutiny.

Scrubbers, more formally known as Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems (EGCSs), treat the emissions of vessels burning otherwise non-compliant, higher sulfur bunker fuels allowing them to achieve an equivalent method of compliance.

Despite lower than expected uptake of the technology and some owners going on record as dismissing the technology, scrubbers are still being adopted by a steady stream of owners.