CSA responds to a call to ban the use of scrubbers in Norway



Wednesday, January 22, 2025 - 12:12 by ce-press

Michael Kaczmarek, chairman, Clean Shipping Alliance (CSA), contacted Cruise Europe following a story in the December cruise letter, entitled ‘Norway should follow Denmark and ban these of scrubbers on board ships’. He pointed out that almost all cruise vessels without LNG (over 90%) have these exhaust gas cleaning systems which are fully approved by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and also approved by the EU’s Sulphur Directive.

“Among those countries which have initiated restrictions to exhaust gas cleaning systems (EGCS) since the Global Emissions Control Area (ECA) entered into force in 2020, only a few have completed risk assessments of the EGCS discharge waters as recommended by the IMO, and those few removed their restrictions after completion of the assessments, which found little or no risk,” explains Kaczmarek.  

“We are not aware of any others with announced restrictions - including most recently Denmark, Sweden and Finland - that have completed risk assessments, and so they are presumably using the ‘precautionary principle’ as rationale. However, this principle is not intended to be a substitute for evidence-based regulatory decision making, and since the science for risk assessments in these countries is readily available, we have to consider that these decisions are likely based on something else.  
 
“A restriction on EGCS has the potential to hinder the development of innovative environmental systems and equivalent treatment technologies, such as EGCS, and the lack of evidence-based scientific evaluation overlooks the environmental benefits (including improved air emissions) that such technologies offer.  We would encourage your members to consider the scientific basis of any initiatives to restrict these systems, which though in use for many years have never shown any evidence of environmental harm, anywhere.  And of course we are always available for comment or to answer questions, especially on the related science.” 
CSA responds to a call to ban the use of scrubbers in Norway
Costa Diadema in a Norwegian heritage fjord (c) Clean Shipping Alliance





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