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The debate over banning scrubbers has been reignited with a new 36-page report from the Washington DC-based International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), which urges governments and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to phase out all debuggers.
The debate, one of the most contentious issues facing shipping in the years 2017 to 2019, has largely been muted in 2020 as the argument for the scrubber has faded and the price difference between fuel oil with low and high sulfur content remains negligible throughout the year.
However, the number of scrubbers installed in the world merchant fleet has increased. Ships using exhaust gas cleaning systems have increased from just three ships in 2008 to more than 4,300 in 2020.
IMO should consider banning the use of scrubbers on newly built ships and phasing out scrubbers on existing ships.
“Although scrubbers are effective in reducing sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions to the air, sulfur and other pollutants removed from exhaust gases, including carcinogens such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals, are discharged by the gunwale in the form of wash water, also called flush water. Meanwhile, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) guidelines for scrubber discharges have not been strengthened since 2008, despite being revised in 2009, 2015, and 2020, and the guidelines ignore the cumulative effects of many ships operating and they download in high traffic areas. “explains the new study.
This study estimates air and water emission factors for ships using heavy fuel oil (HFO) with scrubbers based on the available literature and the methods of the IMO Fourth Greenhouse Gas Study. In addition, the authors have compared the emissions associated with ships using scrubbers with ships without scrubbers using marine diesel (MGO).
Regarding air emissions, the results show that SO2 emissions from ships using 2.6% HFO sulfur with a scrubber are on average 31% lower than those from ships using 0.07 % sulfur MGO.
Particulate matter emissions are almost 70% higher if HFO is used with a scrubber compared to MGO.
Black carbon emissions are 81% higher using HFO with a scrubber than using MGO in a medium speed diesel engine and more than 4.5 times higher than using MGO in a slow speed diesel engine .
ICCT contends that scrubbers are not equivalently effective in reducing total air pollution emissions compared to using MGO. Additionally, ICCT maintains that direct carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are 4% higher if HFO is used with a scrubber compared to MGO, and although HFO has lower upstream emissions than MGO, the additional consumption of Fuel associated with the scrubber feed results in 1.1% more CO2 emissions on a life cycle basis when using HFO.
Regarding water emissions, the study found that scrubber discharges generally meet IMO guidelines, but all scrubbers (open-loop, closed-loop, and hybrid) discharge water that is more acidic and turbid than the surrounding water, contributing to ocean acidification and making the water worse. quality.
“All scrubbers emit nitrates, PAH, and heavy metals that accumulate in the environment and the food web and can negatively affect both water quality and marine life,” the study states, adding: “PAHs and heavy metals have been linked to cancers and reproductive disorders in threatened and endangered marine mammals. “
The ICCT has recommended that individual governments continue to take unilateral action to restrict or prohibit scrubber discharges from both open-loop and closed-loop systems. This could include an immediate ban on the discharge of scrubbers in ports, inland waters and territorial seas.
“Internationally, the IMO should consider banning the use of scrubbers on newly built ships and phasing out scrubbers on existing ships, because scrubbers are not equally effective in reducing air pollution compared to using of fuels with low sulfur content ”, concludes the study.
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