Scrubbers Were 'Crucial' in Smooth IMO 2020 Transition: Clean Shipping Alliance

The International Maritime Organization has hailed the IMO 2020 transition as 'relatively smooth'. Image Credit: Ship & Bunker

Scrubber advocate group the Clean Shipping Alliance has claimed the emissions-cleaning systems played a 'crucial role' in ensuring the transition to the 0.50% sulfur limit for marine fuels went smoothly last year.

"Despite the severe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global supply chain last year, which will most certainly continue until the second half of this year, ships continue to carry goods and commodities around the world, such as essential food and medical supplies," Poul Woodall, executive director of the Clean Shipping Alliance, said in an emailed statement on Friday.

"In this context, it is remarkable that the shipping industry was able to make that smooth transition to the IMO2020, and many of our companies were able to do so thanks to the timely installations of Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems."

The share of the global fleet with scrubbers burning HSFO instead of the new VLSFO blends currently represents about 15% of total bunker demand, and this may have helped avoid VLSFO availability problems last year and helped the refining industry with a smoother transition.

The profitability of scrubbers dropped dramatically last year as the price spread between VLSFO and HSFO narrowed. But the spread has widened again since the lows of 2020, and some shipping companies may start to see the systems in a more favourable light again if this trend continues.

"The CSA strongly believes that EGCS make a positive difference to the ports and ocean environments in which ships operate and will promote global environmental progress – especially the goal of reducing the health impact from airborne sources, which is at the heart of the IMO 2020 regulation," the CSA said.