Sweden - Introduces Phased Ban on All Scrubber Discharges
In alignment with Denmark's forthcoming ban on discharging wash water from open-loop exhaust gas scrubber systems within 12 nautical miles of its coast starting 1 July 2025, Sweden has proactively decided to enforce the same restriction within its territorial waters.
The Swedish Government proposed in June 2024 that discharge from open-loop scrubbers would be banned starting 1 July 2025. This will be followed by a comprehensive ban on discharges from all scrubber types, including closed-loop bleed-off wash water, effective 1 January 2029.
Before the proposal, some Swedish ports had banned open-loop scrubber discharge within their port limits; however, there was no nationwide ban on wastewater discharge from open-loop ship scrubbers.
While there is no universal legislation within the European Union regarding the prohibition of discharges from scrubbers, a significant global trend is emerging. Several countries and ports independently implement such regulations, indicating a larger movement towards environmental protection.
When the IMO placed stricter regulations regarding controlling Sulphur Oxide (SOx) and Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) emissions from vessels in 2020, the decision led to some vessels installing exhaust gas cleaning systems.
While effectively reducing air pollution, exhaust gas scrubbers have faced criticism for transferring the pollutants they remove from the air to water, which is considered a non-sustainable solution. This criticism has led to some countries prohibiting scrubbers and pushing shipowners to use other viable pollution control measures, such as low-sulphur fuel oil and alternative fuels.
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