Trafigura will choose to install scrubbers on its fleet of newbuild tankers, in an attempt to comply with new regulations that are coming into force from 2020. The scrubbers will aim to reduce the levels of sulphur that ships are allowed to burn.
Trafigura ordered 32 newbuild crude oil and product tankers, in June 2017. The ships are expected to be delivered later this year, however most of them will be delivered in the beginning of 2019.
The first vessels will be delivered in October, and they will have scrubbers installed, a Trafigura spokesperson told Reuters.
The new IMO rules will reduce the amount of ships’ sulphur emissions to 0.5% by 2020, from 3.5%. Scrubbers are one solution to comply with the new rules, which can reduce shipping emissions.
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However, some industry analysts predict an initial low adoption of scrubbers, because of the high costs related with uncertainties around possible regulations on carbon dioxide emissions from 2023.