Strong economic incentives of ship scrubbers promoting pollution
Artikel i vetenskaplig tidskrift, 2024

In response to stricter regulations on ship air emissions, many shipowners have installed exhaust gas cleaning systems, known as scrubbers, allowing for use of cheap residual heavy fuel oil. Scrubbers produce large volumes of acidic and polluted water that is discharged to the sea. Due to environmental concerns, the use of scrubbers is being discussed within the International Maritime Organization. Real-world simulations of global scrubber-vessel activity, applying actual fuel costs and expenses related to scrubber operations, show that 51% of the global scrubber-fitted fleet reached economic break even by the end of 2022, with a surplus of €4.7 billion in 2019 euros. Within five years after installation, more than 95% of the ships with the most common scrubber systems reach break even. However, the marine ecotoxicity damage cost, from scrubber water discharge in the Baltic Sea Area 2014–2022, amounts to >€680 million in 2019 euros, showing that private economic interests come at the expense of marine environmental damage.

Författare

Anna Lunde Hermansson

Chalmers, Mekanik och maritima vetenskaper, Maritima studier

Ida-Maja Hassellöv

Chalmers, Mekanik och maritima vetenskaper, Maritima studier

T. Grönholm

Finnish Meteorological Institute

J. P. Jalkanen

Finnish Meteorological Institute

Erik Fridell

IVL Svenska Miljöinstitutet

Chalmers, Mekanik och maritima vetenskaper, Maritima studier

Rasmus Parsmo

IVL Svenska Miljöinstitutet

Chalmers, Mekanik och maritima vetenskaper, Maritima studier

Jesper Hassellöv

Chalmers, Mekanik och maritima vetenskaper, Maritima studier

Erik Ytreberg

Chalmers, Mekanik och maritima vetenskaper, Maritima studier

Nature Sustainability

23989629 (eISSN)

Vol. 7 6 812-822

Evaluation, control and Mitigation of the EnviRonmental impacts of shippinG Emissions (EMERGE)

Europeiska kommissionen (EU) (EC/H2020/874990), 2020-02-01 -- 2024-01-31.

Ämneskategorier

Nationalekonomi

Annan naturresursteknik

Marin teknik

Miljövetenskap

DOI

10.1038/s41893-024-01347-1

Mer information

Senast uppdaterat

2024-07-27