Virus Outbreak Sees Scrubber Yard Delays Extending Beyond 3 Months

by Ship & Bunker News Team
Wednesday March 18, 2020

Delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic are now extending yard stays for scrubber retrofits to as long as three months in some cases, according to shipping intelligence service Alphaliner.

As of March 17, some 17 container ships had been waiting at yards to have the emissions-cleaning equipment fitted for more than three months, Alphaliner said in its weekly research note Tuesday.

"On top of this, several vessels are stranded at anchorages, waiting to enter the retrofit yards," the company said.

"A number of ships have since abandoned their yard slots to seek alternative deployment opportunities, as owners try to mitigate losses from the extended vessel downtime and off-hire days."

The total number of container ships undergoing scrubber retrofits stood at 117 as of March 17, representing 1.116 million twenty-foot equivalent units of capacity, Alphaliner said.

The delays may cause owners to put off making any new scrubber retrofit orders early this year, coming at the same time as a sharp downturn in the profitability of the devices.