Pacific Basin Shipping chief executive Mats Berglund remains a sceptic of scrubbers despite the company exploring the use of the equipment on some ships to help meet IMO 2020 rules.
While the Hong Kong-listed owner has ruled out the kit on its handysize fleet, it is exploring the installation of scrubbers on an unspecified number of supramaxes.
“We don’t want to lead the development in scrubbers for supras, because we much prefer low-sulphur fuel since it’s incentivising fuel efficiency,” he said.
Berglund has previously voiced in TradeWinds his doubts about the use of scrubbers — and, this week, he said his position had not changed.
“We are seeing some supra owners are doing it and we can’t afford to risk becoming uncompetitive,” he said.
Scrubber installation
“For that reason, we have been out there early and we have arrangements in place with both scrubber makers and repair yards to install scrubbers on supramaxes. We are not saying exactly how many as we don’t yet know.”
Despite the actions, Berglund said the company would still prefer to use low-sulphur fuel to meet the new rules.
“As an industry, we would have much preferred a ban of HFO [heavy fuel oil],” he said. “It would have been so much better for all parties.
“Oil companies would have had a much clearer direction. The scrubber alternative made the oil companies wait and see, and it’s not a long-term smart solution from an environmental point of view.
“It is increasing speed and increasing CO2. But we have to play by the rules that have been set.”
