Open loop scrubbers backlash continues

Pakistan has issued a government regulation requiring ships in the Port of Karachi to use closed loop scrubbers or compliant fuel, rather than open loop scrubbers, according to a statement by the Standard Club.

The government’s Ministry of Maritime Affairs said in a circular that “the discharge of wash-water from open-loop scrubbers is prohibited in Port”.

The Standard Club, which said that one of its members notified it of the ban, reported that the circular went on to say: “While in the Port, vessels fitted with hybrid type of scrubbers should switch to the closed-loop mode of operations. As for vessels fitted with open-loop scrubbers, they would need to switch over to compliant fuel instead.”

The circular advises ships to carry out this switch-over well in advance of the ship’s arrival in port waters, so that any operational issues can be identified and dealt with before the ship enters Pakistani waters.

Sulphur-conscious ports

Pakistan’s decision comes after the IMO’s 0.5% sulphur limit came into effect on 1 January. Open loop scrubbers were also banned in the Port of Bahrain at the end of December.

Last year, a CE Delft study presented during the 74^th session of the IMO’s MEPC found that accumulated concentrations of scrubber wash water components are at very low levels in ports and well below applicable regulatory limits.

However, restrictions remain in place in Malaysia, China, Singapore, Dublin and Waterford in Ireland and Port of Fujairah in the UAE.