THE Clean Shipping Alliance 2020,
the scrubber lobby, has expressed disappointment in Malaysia's decision
to prohibit the use of open-loop exhaust gas cleaning systems in its
coastal waters.
"What makes this announcement so
surprising is that the scientific evidence is there, and it is clear
that the positive net environmental benefit from ships operating open
loop in Malaysian waters would play an important role in Malaysian
maritime sustainability plans," said CSA 2020 executive director Ian
Adams.
The Malaysia Shipping Notice (MSN 07/2019), published states that ships
calling to Malaysian Ports must change over to compliant fuel oil or
change over to closed-loop/hybrid systems before entering Malaysian
waters and ports.
"We are disappointed in this announcement," said CSA 2020 chairman Mike
Kaczmarek. "The decision will impact not only our member shipping
companies, but over 200 other international shipping companies that have
announced their intent to install scrubbers.
"We will of course comply with these national rules, however, we do not
understand the reasoning or timing, with the global sulphur cap deadline
just weeks away and with the IMO already embarked on a comprehensive
evaluation of the environmental impact of exhaust gas cleaning systems
in ports," said Capt Kaczmarek.
"We don't know what's behind this decision by the Malaysian Marine
Department, but it was not likely science-based, as there is no evidence
that would clearly support it. There also were no collaborative
discussions with their global shipping partners, many of whom are very
experienced with these systems," he said
Said the CSA 2020 press release: "In a CSA2020 Technical Conference in
Brussels, Elizabeth Lindstad, chief scientist, SINTEF Ocean, confirmed
that the use of HFO+EGCS not only has a better air emissions quality
than ships operating on compliant fuel, but also a greater positive
effect on global emissions reduction, including greenhouse gases."
http://www.shippingazette.com/menu.asp?encode=eng
|
Back:
Next:
