AsiaRegulatory

Malaysia bans open-loop scrubbers

Malaysia has become the latest country to ban the use of open-loop scrubbers in the country’s waters due to concerns over sea pollution.

The maritime authority Jabatan Laut Malaysia issued a notice to the shipping industry saying that it has prohibited the discharge of washwater from open-loop scrubbers while operating within 12 nautical miles of Malaysian land.

The authority also advised that ships calling Malaysian ports to change over to compliance fuel oil or close loop systems before entering Malaysian waters and ports.

In a separate announcement, the authority said domestic ships that adopt non-compliant fuel will need to secure approval from the maritime authority, the port authorities where the non-compliant fuel was purchased and the destination port authorities once the IMO 2020 regulations on sulphur emission is effective on January 1, 2020.

Countries and regions that have banned the use of open-loop scrubbers in their territorial waters include China, Singapore, Fujairah, Panama, California, Connecticut and Hawaii.

Data from vessel classification society DNV shows that open-loop scrubbers currently account for about 80% of all the scrubber installations, while closed-loop scrubbers and hybrid scrubbers accounts for 18% and 2% respectively.

 

Jason Jiang

Jason is one of the most prolific writers on the diverse China shipping & logistics industry and his access to the major maritime players with business in China has proved an invaluable source of exclusives. Having been working at Asia Shipping Media since inception, Jason is the chief correspondent of Splash and associate editor of Maritime CEO magazine. Previously he had written for a host of titles including Supply Chain Asia, Cargo Facts and Air Cargo Week.
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