Ports revoke scrubber ban

(Posted on 08/05/19)

Clean Shipping Alliance 2020 (CSA 2020) has received written approvals and no-objection letters from several Port Authorities around the world indicating they have no intention of banning the use of open-loop scrubbers in their waters.

Following successful meetings between port officials and CSA 2020 Executive Committee members, the ports approached indicated that they do not intend to submit any papers to IMO pertaining to EGCS operation unless new, compelling research comes to light.

Members of the CSA 2020 Executive Committee presented to the ports scientific evidence concluding that the wastewater generated by the exhaust gas cleaning process was environmentally acceptable and well within regulatory limits

CSA 2020 Executive Committee member Christopher Fee, General Manager, Environment and Sustainability, Oldendorff Carriers, said: “After research carried out by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), Japan has now stated it will not ban the use of open-loop scrubbers in its waters and we hope to have more written confirmations in place soon.”

The CSA 2020 Executive Committee has received no-objection letters from more than 20 ports covering Europe, the Americas, Asia and Australasia.

While the number of global ports with declared restrictions remains low, those that have decided to ban scrubbers are beginning to have second thoughts.

“It appears that some ports are revoking their earlier decisions to restrict open-loop scrubber use now that more academic studies have been made publicly available,” said Fee.

CSA 2020 Committee member William Nugent, Vice-President and Head of Ship Operations, International Seaways, added: “With a significant number of world ports having now assessed the evidence and decided not to ban the use of open-loop scrubbers, we encourage other Port Authorities to consider the independent research and analyses before making any decisions.”

In February, DNV GL verified a three-year study based on 281 wash water samples from 53 different EGCS-equipped vessels, concluding that the samples were well within the allowable IMO criteria, as well as within the limits of other major water standards.

A study carried out by Japan’s MLIT has also concluded that no short-term or long-term effects on marine organisms can be caused by the use the technology.

More recently, King’s College London launched a research project that aims to monitor the effect of emissions on 250 school children in the London area. Air pollution has been found to cause low lung function and is often associated with other health problems, including cancer, cardiovascular and dermatological diseases.

Alliance Executive Director Ian Adams said: “While this study does not relate to ship emissions, in particular, it does help in reminding us all why we need to remove these airborne toxins from ports and harbour communities around the world.”

Most scrubbers are designed to remove the pollutants that contribute most to a wide range of serious health problems. EGCS not only remove the greater part of Sulphur Oxides (SOx) from the exhaust gases of ships’ engines and boilers, but also remove up to 94% of the Particulate Matter (PM), up to 60% of the Black Carbon (BC) and a significant amount of the Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH).

CSA 2020 Chairman, Mike Kaczmarek, Vice-President, Carnival Corporation, said: “The industry must not lose sight of the reason behind the introduction of the global sulphur cap and the effect sulphur oxide emissions has on human health. Marine exhaust gas cleaning systems are the best way of reducing shipping’s environmental impact by preventing air pollution whether a ship is at sea or in port.”

The Clean Shipping Alliance 2020 (CSA 2020) represents group of leading companies from the commercial shipping and passenger ship industries that have been leaders in emission control efforts through significant investments in research and analysis, funding and committing resources to comply with 2020 fuel requirements through the development and use of Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems (EGCS).

Latest News

Euroports secures long-term future in Venice with 25-year deal

Euroports has announced the renewal of the concession for Terminal Rinfuse Venezia (TRV) at Porto Marghera... Read more

Panama Canal promotes sustainable maritime shipping with NetZero Slot

Contributing to the commitment of achieving net zero emissions by 2050, the Panama Canal authority has... Read more

Saguenay Port brings electric-driven Konecranes Gottwald MHC to Canada

The Saguenay Port Authority in Quebec has ordered a Konecranes Gottwald ESP.6B Mobile Harbor Crane for... Read more

Cas König joins North Sea Port as new CEO

North Sea Port Supervisory Body has appointed Cas König as the port authority's new CEO. Kö... Read more

Inspirational leader, Trois-Rivières Port President and CEO, Bovin to retire this year

After 19 years at the helm of the Port of Trois-Rivières and a career rich in major projects,... Read more

State-of-the-art cranes for Egyptian multipurpose cargo terminal

Abu Dhabi based AD Ports Group, an enabler of integrated trade, transport and logistics solutions, has... Read more

Call for swift implementation of Europe’s Clean Industrial Deal

The Port of Rotterdam and Port of Antwerp-Bruges have welcomed the Clean Industrial Deal, through which... Read more

Canadian Government invests $87.1M in Trois-Rivières Terminals project

The Canadian Port of Trois-Rivières is delighted to have received major funding of $87.1 million... Read more

Katoen Natie invests in four all-electric Konecranes Gottwald MHCs

Belgian logistics giant Katoen Natie has ordered four all-electric Konecranes Gottwald Mobile Harbor... Read more

AD Ports reports another year of record results

AD Ports Group, Abu Dhabi based enabler of integrated trade, transport and logistics solutions, has... Read more