
Stop the discharge of washwater from scrubbers
Ships should switch to cleaner fuels rather than using scrubbers to reduce their SO₂ emissions, says the international research organisation International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), which consists of more than 4,000 researchers from 20 countries.
Until such a fuel shift is completed, the discharging of scrubber water into the marine environment should be avoided. According to ICES, this will require significant investment in technological advances and port reception facilities to enable the use of closed-loop scrubber systems with land-based disposal and treatment.
Until scrubber water discharge can be avoided, ICES recommends that: A) Discharges in specific areas (e.g. Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas and Special Areas, as defined by the IMO) should be banned; B) Stringent limits for contaminants in discharge water should be set and enforced; and C) Further development of standards and protocols for measuring, monitoring, and reporting on scrubber discharge water for contaminants and other parameters should be ensured
Source: ICES Viewpoint, 24 September 2020. Link: http://www.ices.dk/sites/pub/Publication%20Reports/Advice/2020/2020/vp.2...