Maersk Tankers Opts for Scrubbers

Maersk Tankers announced Friday it has decided to invest in four scrubber systems to be installed on one existing and three newbuild LR2 vessels in the Maersk Product Tanker fleet before January 2020 to comply with the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) sulphur regulation.

The new IMO regulation states that the current global limit for sulphur content in fuel oil used on board vessels will change from 3.50% to a maximum of 0.50% from January 2020. As a result, from January 1, 2020, the world’s shipping fleet will be required either to have scrubbers installed on board or to use compliant fuel with a maximum sulphur content of 0.5% (outside Emission Control Areas (ECA)).

The Denmark based shipping company said it has analyzed and evaluated various options for compliance, taking into account the long-term financial viability of available options and potential environmental impact. Installing scrubbers on smaller-sized tanker vessel is not currently deemed financially viable, it said.

“We have carried out extensive analyses while also consulting with industry specialists and relevant regulatory bodies. Based on that, installing scrubbers on selected larger-sized product tanker vessels is assessed to be a financially viable solution while combining it with the use of compliant low-sulphur fuel on the majority of the fleet,” said Tommy Thomassen, chief technical officer at Maersk Tankers.

“Maersk Tankers supports the IMO 2020 sulphur regulation and will implement it as required. However, we also recognize a need for gaining a deeper understanding of the regulation’s overall implication on the global product tanker industry,” Thomassen added.

Maersk Tankers said it is also ready to handle scrubbers for the vessels that are operated in its commercial pools.