A recent study conducted by Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden indicates that emissions from scrubber discharge into the Baltic Sea have resulted in pollution-related expenses exceeding $732 million) between 2014 and 2022.
The research reveals that most shipping companies have already recovered their investments in scrubber technology, which allows exhaust gases to be cleaned and discharged into the sea. Consequently, the industry has capitalized on running ships on inexpensive heavy fuel oil instead of cleaner alternatives, yielding billions of euros in profits, according to the study.
However, the analysis may underestimate the true costs, as it does not include expenses for oil spill cleanup resulting from ship groundings. The study suggests that the majority of shipping companies that invested in scrubbers have already broken even, with a total surplus of EUR 4.7 billion for all 3,800 vessels by the end of 2022. Additionally, over 95% of the open loop scrubber system recoup their costs within five years
The researchers emphasize the need to address the environmental impact of scrubber discharge, highlighting concerns about the large volumes of polluted water being released into the Baltic Sea annually. This discharge contributes up to 9% of certain carcinogenic pollutants in the sea.
The study comes amid ongoing discussions about potentially banning scrubber water discharge at various regulatory levels, including within the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and at the EU and national levels. Denmark, Germany, France, Portugal, Turkey, and China have already implemented national bans or restrictions, while Sweden, where the study was conducted, has not yet imposed a ban, although some ports have restricted scrubber water discharges.
Despite the environmental concerns, the use of scrubbers has proliferated, with the number of vessels equipped with scrubbers increasing significantly since the mid-2010s. The study estimates that the size of the scrubber-fitted fleet in the Baltic Sea has quadrupled since 2018, and globally, approximately 5,000 vessels, accounting for 5% of the global fleet, are equipped with scrubbers. Given that scrubbers are predominantly installed on ships with high fuel consumption, this subset represents 25% of the global demand for heavy fuel oil.
