In an event in late February, Bermuda-based Nordic American Tankers Ltd (NAT) reiterated that scrubbers are not a solution for the company, in view of the 2020 sulphur cap, and it will ‘not take on risk it does not have to’.
An increased number of ports now prohibit or impose strict requirements on the use of scrubbers, which purify emissions from large ships. The scrubber cleans the exhaust from vessels for sulphur and emit impure water into the sea, and that is what the ports now will put an end to. Therefore, we still do not see that this new requirement is an issue for NAT,
…said the company in an official statement.
All of the company’s Suezmax tankers are fully compliant to run on 0.10% sulphur content or less, so the new stringent regulations will not be an issue, NAT added.
Several major ports around the world, including Port of Fujairah, Singapore and Chinese ports, prohibits the use of open loop scrubbers.
Now, a ban on so-called scrubbers is also being considered in Norway, according to a recent report by Reuters.
Scrubbers are used for cleaning the exhaust from the ships for sulphur. The consequence is that the ships pump impure water into the sea – and that is what the ports will now put an end to.
It is a question whether all types of scrubbers may be prohibited,
…the company concluded.
