July 2, 2025
The recent decision by OSPAR to restrict the use of scrubbers in the North Atlantic ports and inland waters of the contracting parties of OSPAR, projected to start in 2027, has been called into question by the Clean Shipping Alliance (CSA).
According to the Clean Shipping Alliance, last week’s OSPAR decision to restrict the use of Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems (scrubbers) in the North Atlantic ports and inland waters of the Contracting Parties (member states) in OSPAR, projected to start in 2027, has created a “questionable precedent”.
As stated, most of the Environmental Ministers present agreed to creating what is in fact a major regional maritime regulation independent of discussion with IMO, the leading authority issuing EGCS Guidelines and the globally recognized competent international organization for marine EGCS over the last decades.
Captain Mike Kaczmarek, Chairman, CSA, noted that the OSPAR move is unfortunate and unnecessary.
Of course this will have an impact, including further complicating today’s already complex map of environmental restrictions for shipping operations in Europe, but above that we are very disappointed in the low level of credible science used by OSPAR to support this decision, including a total lack of evidence of any harm to the marine environment. There clearly is no environmental urgency, no ‘smoking gun’ to justify this rush to regulate.
…said Captain Mike Kaczmarek.
Under the new OSPAR restrictions, discharges from open-loop scrubbers will be banned in internal waters and port areas across the North-East Atlantic (OSPAR Maritime Area) by July 2027. Additionally, discharges from closed-loop scrubbers will be prohibited by January 2029.
Captain Kaczmarek proceeded to highlight that it is particularly surprising that almost no environmental risk assessments—only one or two known, which indicated little or no risk—have been conducted by OSPAR members for the operations of these systems within their own waters, as recommended by the IMO prior to considering any restrictive measures.
Furthermore, all members, including Denmark, Sweden and Finland, which have introduced their own restrictions starting this week, possess the technical capability to perform such assessments.
Although some authorities are still relying on a precautionary principle to justify EGCS restrictions, CSA considers this should only be invoked when supported by some scientifically credible evidence; the OSPAR reference studies, however, don’t appear to rise to this level.
Moreover, although it is not clear that they have been considered by OSPAR, there is a large and growing body of credible scientific studies, from many sources, that fully evaluate EGCS discharge water quality, the potential for accumulation, and risk to the environment, including in ports.
We believe that responsible regulators and scientists in each OSPAR member state may wish to have a thorough technical understanding of their subject before actually initiating restrictions, and the coming period would be well used by OSPAR members to fill in data gaps by conducting sampling, testing, and risk evaluations in their own waters, using standard scientific methods, and not just rely on speculative reports by others.
…Kaczmarek concluded.
