Singapore's Marine Port Authority (MPA) will ban vessels that have installed open-loop scrubbers from discharging wash water in the port from 1 January 2020.
"While in the port of Singapore, vessels fitted with hybrid type of scrubbers should switch to the closed-loop mode of operation", according to a new guidebook the MPA released. "As for vessels fitted with open-loop scrubbers, they would need to switch over to compliant fuel instead."
Vessels calling in Singapore, the world's largest bunkering hub, that wish to change to compliant fuels such as gasoil are encouraged to do so as early as possible, given the port's high traffic density and limited manoeuvring space, the MPA said.
Singapore will have reception facilities available for exhaust gas cleaning residues from a scrubber, to be collected by licensed toxic industrial waste collectors. The port will make it possible from 1 January 2020 for vessels with a hybrid or closed-loop scrubber to receive supplies of chemicals needed to neutralise the sulphur oxides in the exhaust gas.
Scrubbers are one way for vessels to comply with the International Maritime Organisation's 2020 regulations, which will cap the sulphur content of marine fuels to 0.5pc from the current 3.5pc. Scrubbers allow vessels to continue burning high-sulphur fuel oil but their high upfront costs and uncertain future regulations have deterred many owners from installing them.
The large majority of vessels opting for scrubbers have chosen the open-loop type. The addition of a closed section to a scrubber could cost up to an additional $2mn, according to one marine engineer.
