There were
983 ships with exhaust gas cleaning systems (scrubber) installed or on
order as of May 31, 2018, Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems Association (EGCSA) said,
citing figures from a survey of its members.
It only
means that the ship owners are ready for the implementation of the upcoming
2020 sulphur cap.
Major
industry players such as Frontline, DHT, Star Bulk and Spliethoff have
opted for scrubbers and rumors have emerged that one of the top tier players
from the container shipping sector has jumped on the bandwagon as well, the
association said.
“EGCSA believes that although there has been a surge in demand, yard
capacity is not an issue going forward, however other constraints such as the
availability of laser scanning specialists and experienced installation teams
mean that it may not be possible to pick and choose an installation slot nor
coincide a scrubber installation with an already scheduled drydock in the near
future,” EGCSA
added.
The
association members are still taking orders with several now taking options
through to 2023 to enable ship-owners to secure a position on the installation
timetable.
Back in
2015, RORO and ferry operators became the first adopters of the technology
followed by the cruise industry. Now bulk carriers have taken over as top
adopters of exhaust gas cleaning systems, with containerships and tankers
following suit. In each of these sectors retrofit open loop installations predominate,
according to EGCSA.
The survey
shows that 63% of all ships have either been or will be retrofitted with
scrubbers, while 37% are new building installations. 988 of the 1561 individual
scrubber towers installed or on order are for open loop scrubbing; confirming
it as the most popular exhaust gas cleaning system.
As
explained, open loop scrubbers are much more simple to install and favored by
ship crews.
“While closed loop and hybrid systems are available for enclosed bodies
of water with little water exchange or where discharges are restricted by local
regulation, ECGSA suggests the alternative of switching to low sulphur fuel for
the port stay where open loop operation is not possible. The cost impact is
likely to be limited as over 90% of fuel consumption is during full away at
sea, which is where the financial benefits really accrue,” the association concluded.
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