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The Clean Shipping Alliance (CSA), a coalition of shipping companies that support the use of scrubber systems, has criticised the OSPAR commission’s recent decision to ban scrubber washwater discharges.
The ban, set to take effect from 2027, will apply to ports and inland waters across the North-East Atlantic.
“We don’t see the OSPAR move as ‘historic’, but it is unfortunate and unnecessary,” Capt. Mike Kaczmarek, chairman of CSA, said in a statement on Tuesday.
Kaczmarek highlighted the lack of credible scientific evidence to justify the ban.
“There clearly is no environmental urgency, no ‘smoking gun’ to justify this rush to regulate,” Kaczmarek noted.
He added, “Even more surprising is that almost no environmental risk assessments — we only know of one or two, which showed little/no risk — have been conducted by the OSPAR members for the operations of these systems in their own waters, as is recommended by the IMO before considering any restrictive actions.”
Denmark, Sweden and Finland also imposed a ban on open-loop scrubber washwater from July 1.
“We believe that responsible regulators and scientists in each OSPAR member state may wish to have a thorough technical understanding of their subject before actually initiating restrictions,” Kaczmarek said.