Pakistan’s Karachi port bans open-loop scrubbers

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Pakistan’s Karachi port has announced its ban on the discharge of wash-water from open-loop scrubbers, according to an update by the Standard Club.

Pakistan’s Ministry of Maritime Affairs (ports and shipping wings) has issued a circular saying “while in the port, vessels fitted with hybrid type of scrubbers should switch to the closed-loop mode of operations.”

The Ministry added: “As for vessels fitted with open-loop scrubbers, they would need to switch over to compliant fuel instead.”

From 1 January 2020, all ocean-going ships are required to burn marine fuels with a maximum sulphur content of 0.5% to be in compliant with IMO Marpol Annex VI regulation on curbing sulphur emissions.

For vessels continuing to use high sulphur fuel oil, exhaust gas cleaning systems or scrubbers would have to be fitted to bring the sulphur level down to the compliant level.

“The circular advises ships to carry out this switch-over well in advance of the ship’s arrival in port waters, so that any operational issues can be identified and dealt with before the ship enters Pakistani waters,” Standard Club said in a note to its members.

Karachi port has joined several other ports, especially coastal states and ports, in banning the discharge of wash-water from open-loop scrubbers within port waters.

Some countries and ports effecting the ban include China’s inland and coastal Emission Control Areas (ECAs) and Bohai Bay, Singapore, Malaysia, Belgium, Fujairah, Lithuania, Latvia, Panama Canal, Connecticut, and California.

TAGS: Asia