The member countries of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) have been divided into two camps regarding the institutional framework that will govern sulfur dioxide cleaning systems (scrubbers) from ships at a global level. And especially open-type systems.
On the one hand, there is the International Chamber of Shipping with a group of countries that believe that scrubbers can operate within the existing framework where the restrictions concern internal waters, such as ports, harbors and river estuaries, and not international waters where foreign ships have the right of innocent passage.
However, there are countries that are asking the IMO working group, which is meeting this week, to come up with a global measure, as more than 40 countries or regions around the world have placed restrictions on the use of scrubbers in their waters.
The IMO has previously adopted guidelines on the issue of scrubbers in order to assess potential risks and impacts on the environment, accepting their operation.
However, according to what one side reports, there is no single global regulation on the subject, resulting in the application of local restrictions.
The IMO Subcommittee on Pollution (PPR12) is working this week to consider whether and how to set emission factors for scrubbers to help assess their risk to the environment, bringing together many years of work on the subject.
Exhaust gas scrubbers are used on ships to prevent sulfur oxides (SOx) from being emitted into the atmosphere.
In this way, ships comply with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) emissions regulations, limiting the sulfur content in fuels to 0.5% worldwide and 0.1% in Emission Control Areas (ECAs).
