LONDON: Several port authorities around the world have confirmed that they have no intention of banning the use of open-loop scrubbers in their waters, according to the Clean Shipping Alliance 2020 (CSA 2020).

More than 20 ports covering Europe, the Americas, Asia and Australasia submitted written approvals and no-objection letters on the matter following meetings between port officials and CSA 2020 Executive Committee members.

CSA 2020 said that the ports approached indicated that they do not intend to submit any papers to IMO pertaining to EGCS operation unless new, compelling research comes to light.

“After research carried out by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), Japan has now stated it will not ban the use of open-loop scrubbers in its waters and we hope to have more written confirmations in place soon,” CSA 2020 Executive Committee member Christopher Fee, General Manager, Environment and Sustainability, Oldendorff Carriers, said.

While the number of global ports with declared restrictions remains low, CSA 2020 said that those that have decided to ban scrubbers “are beginning to have second thoughts.”

“It appears that some ports are revoking their earlier decisions to restrict open-loop scrubber use now that more academic studies have been made publicly available,” Fee said, without revealing the details on these ports.