Add to favorites

#Industry News

Yara Marine: Open Loop Scrubbers Viable for 80-90 Pct of Global Shipping

Open loop scrubbers are still viable for 80-90 percent of global marine transport although there is a growing number of countries and regions around the world that are introducing bans on this type of scrubbers.

Exhaust gas emission control company Yara Marine Technologies has examined the ambitions behind the bans on open loop scrubbers, the consequences for stakeholders and the options.

“Some studies have shown that open loop bans have no real environmental impact, while others maintain that the effects of wash water on marine life have yet to be assessed or may even be harmful,” Shyam Thapa, Yara Marine Technologies R&D Manager, explained.

Regardless, there are different reasons for enacting bans, according to Thapa. Open loop scrubbers, which use seawater in the exhaust cleaning process, do not perform effectively in water with low alkalinity, such as rivers and inland waterways.

“In these areas, systems supplying alkali in a closed loop are required, so open loop bans are largely formalities,” he added.

Some private ports are also enacting open-loop bans, but Thapa observed that this may often be for reasons other than environmental concern. He believes that a combination of ‘want to’ and ‘need to’ is a likely future scenario on open loop scrubber bans, with flexibility being the common key to ensuring compliance and unrestricted operations.

Yara Marine manufactures both open and closed loop exhaust scrubber systems, and hybrid scrubbers capable of operating in either mode depending on applicable geographical regulations.

“Our estimates for hybrid solutions assume maximum 15 percent of operation time using closed loop mode. But if the vessel is operating in waters where open loop is forbidden, owners either need to be able to operate the scrubber in closed mode or switch over to alternative fuel,” Thapa noted.

Details

  • Gamla Almedalsvägen 21c, 412 63 Göteborg, Sweden
  • Yara Marine