Frederick Kenny, Director of Legal and External Affairs at the IMO, voiced concern over the prospect of fragmented scrubber regulations, reports Ship & Bunker.
Local and regional actions
“The IMO secretariat’s view is that global regulations implemented consistently and enforced uniformly are the best way to go,” he told BIMCO.
“When you see local and regional action being taken, it can be a cause for concern if it is inconsistent with IMO regulations. We need a level playing field, and that is what we are here to do.”
Harmonized rules on scrubber discharge
IMO permits scrubbers as a recognised compliance solution under MARPOL Annex VI, but the concern over rule fragmentation has been fuelled by high-profile bans on open-loop scrubbing by Singapore and Fujairah, last November and January respectively.
Last month, IMO said it was looking to harmonize rules on scrubber discharge as part of its Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) process.
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Source: Ship&Bunker
