By Mike Wackett (The Loadstar) - Another containership fitted with an exhaust gas cleaning system (scrubber) is added to the global fleet every 10 hours, according to Alphaliner data. However, the race to get scrubbers retrofitted on ships ahead of IMO 2020 regulations on 1 January has resulted in a significant extension of the budgeted downtime for many vessels. Some … [Read more...]
Malaysia Bans Open-Loop Scrubbers
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 18 (Reuters) - Malaysia has prohibited the use of open-loop scrubbers by ships plying Malaysian waters, as Southeast Asia's third-largest economy joins the growing number of nations adopting new industry guidelines on reducing sea pollution. New regulations from the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) will require shippers to adopt more … [Read more...]
Gard Highlights ‘Teething Problems’ Associated with Exhaust Gas Scrubbers
Ship owners and operators who have opted to retrofit their vessels with Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems, aka scrubbers, to comply with the upcoming IMO 2020 low sulphur fuel rules should be aware of hazards associated with the use of the systems in order to decrease the number of incidents in the future, Norwegian marine insurer Gard says. In a recent article posted to its … [Read more...]
Going Overboard? IMO 2020 Seen Shifting Pollution from Air to Sea
By Noah Browning LONDON, Oct 21 (Reuters) - New global rules forcing ships to reduce air pollution by using cleaner fuels will see more sulfur and nitrates dumped into the oceans, analysts and civil society leaders say. From January 2020, the United Nations International Maritime Organization (IMO) will ban ships from using fuels with a sulfur content above 0.5%, compared … [Read more...]
Scrubber Retrofitting Driving Spike in the Charter Market
By Mike Wackett (The Loadstar) - Ocean carriers are biting the bullet and agreeing charters for significantly higher daily rates as markets tighten ahead of IMO 2020. The IMO’s maximum 0.5% sulphur content regulation for maritime fuel becomes law in less than 120 days and is widely seen as a ‘game-changer’ for the shipping industry. Dry docks are said to be “full” of … [Read more...]