A recently-formed environmental group that has been publicly lambasting shipping and trading companies for using exhaust gas scrubbers and high sulphur fuel oil has refused to identify any details of who is behind it due to what it claims are fears of "harassment" by industry.
The Environmental Protection Alliance has since July condemned maritime outfits on its website and in emails but it refuses to disclose the names or affiliations of anyone involved in the campaign.
A US bulker operator, Hudson Shipping Lines, this week quit the Trident Alliance lobby group in favour of backing the EPA despite admitting it does not know who are its backers. (See box below)
Using the acronym of the EPA — the same as the official US government Environmental Protection Agency — it has attacked a myriad of shipowners, port authorities and traders for using scrubbers that it claims are contributing to "damaging ecosystems and killing marine life".
The EPA says on its website it is "a coalition of environmentally conscientious financial institutions, pension funds, individuals and organizations committed to the preservation and conservation of the Earth’s resources and our environment."
It does not reveal the names of any of its organisers or backers.
In a brief email exchange with TradeWinds, an unidentified EPA campaigner said: "We understand that in reporting, transparency is critical to credibility."
But they added: "Please note, however, that the individual members of EPA wish to remain confidential because some have experienced relentless harassment by large, deep-pocketed companies from past environmental endeavours.
"Without the EPA mouthpiece, such individuals would be disinclined to voice their opinions for fear being labelled snitches, gossipers or backstabbers."
TradeWinds has attempted to verify some of the claims made in the EPA's campaigning statements, but that has proved difficult because of its veil of secrecy.
Hudson Shipping Lines (HSL), a US bulker operator that openly condemns using scrubbers, on Thursday voiced support for EPA after abruptly backing away from Trident Alliance, a group focused on IMO 2020 enforcement that supports using the kits.
HSL is willing to support EPA for its anti-scrubber stance but will withhold financial support until it discloses its backers, spokesman Ben Malkin said.
For now, HSL is teaching EPA on shipping's technical aspects, given its apparent lack of knowledge on the sector, he said.
"They don't seem to come from a shipping background, but maybe they have someone in shipping," he told TradeWinds.
"At some point, if we get more comfortable, we will want to know who these folks are.
"But at this point, we don't care."
HSL opposes using scrubbers to meet IMO 2020 because it thinks burning low-sulphur fuel oil is the only way to protect the environment from toxic ship exhaust.
"Everyone's going to have to do it eventually, so just do it now," he said.
The EPA campaign has been noticed by a number of shipowners and traders who are backing scrubber use, and they are making their own efforts to identify who is behind it.
EPA declined to say where it is based, how many constituents it has or who they, but it is actively soliciting new members on its website.
It does show, however, a contact email address and a phone number that traces back to a Delaware corporation but its outgoing message does not identify to whom the number belongs.
Searches for the website's origin lead to US cities of Jacksonville, Florida, and Chicago, Illinois.
While the EPA has a Twitter account @Environ59802613 it only has one tweet dated June 14: "Just setting up my Twitter".
The lack of a social media activity in favour of email and a static website has led some observers to theorise that there may be a single, older person behind the campaign.
The Environmental Protection Alliance does not appear on the US Internal Revenue Service’s database of tax-exempt organizations.
Calling them out by name
EPA names dozens of shipping companies in more than 50 posts, either criticising them for scrubber use or praising them for burning marine gasoil to meet IMO 2020.
Companies named include owners Grimaldi Group, DHT Holdings, Hudson Shipping Lines, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises and Wijnne Barends.
Wijnne Barends said it does not plan to respond to EPA's accusation nor was it aware of it.
"There is no need to comment on such calls ... where we as member are committed to complying with sulphur regulations, and supporting robust and transparent enforcement of sulphur regulations," the company said.
The website also lists dozens of bulk carriers as "polluter vessels"with "polluting owner/operators" that use or plan to use scrubbers without attributing the list to any source.
A few publications have written a handful of stories related to EPA's anti-scrubber campaign but environmental groups Stand.earth, WWF and Greepeace have not returned calls.
What EPA will say
EPA told TradeWinds that it is a mostly volunteer-run entity founded by academics and professionals from diverse backgrounds focused on addressing environmental challenges.
It describes itself on its website as a coalition committed to preserving Mother Nature.
"EPA is our platform to challenge the might of large corporations and their lobbyists whose actions or policies are adverse to our environment and who place profits above the wellbeing of the planet," it said.
EPA said its "current campaign" is focused on scrubbers out of concern for "loopholes" in IMO 2020 regulations that allow scrubber-outfitted ships to burn non-compliant bunker.
"We want to make the world aware of the documented issues relating to the use of scrubbers to cheat the system and which effectively transfer ship pollution from the air to the sea," EPA told TradeWinds.
"Companies are not installing scrubbers on vessels because they are environmentally friendly- these companies are solely motivated by profit."
EPA said it plans to wage a broader environmental campaign focused on climate change and achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions globally once 2020 arrives.
A year ago scrubber users came together to form the Clean Shipping Alliance 2020 lobby group, backed by major players including Carnival, Star Bulk, Oldendorff and DFDS.
While it got off to a slow start, by the start of this year it had appointed an executive director on a two-year contract hired through an association management company linked to its public relations firm, and launched a website.
