Greek Diana Shipping will not choose scrubbers to comply with the 2020 sulphur cap. Namely, the company believes that this technology is not an attractive investment at the moment.
As the 2020 regulation implementation date is coming closes, Diana Shipping is analyzing its options to comply, in order to reduce emissions.
Specifically, the Greek company noted that there are basically two choices for compliance: installing scrubbers or using cleaner fuels. In this aspect, Diana Shipping does not consider scrubbers as an attractive investment choice right now.
As Ioannis G. Zafirakis, Diana Shipping’s Director, Chief Strategy Officer and Secretary, explained the company considered the risk and awards for the investment. It concluded that buying back its stock offers would offer better return possibilities than an investment in exhaust gas cleaning systems.
Another company that will not prefer scrubbers is Euronav. Namely, the company considers scrubbers a loop hole which makes enforcement of the sulphur ban extremely complex, difficult to enforce and likely to facilitate non-compliance.
However, this is not the case with other shipping companies which have opted to equip their vessels with scrubbers. Namely, during November companies such as: GOGL, Danaos, MPC, Torm, Frontline, Seanergy and Hapag-Lloyd, all announced that they will retrofit their vessels with this technology.
