The economics of scrubbers as a compliance solution for the 2020 0.50 percent sulfur emissions cap are a “slam dunk” said Rudy Kassinger in an interview with Ship & Bunker. Even by conservative estimates, the savings could reach in the millions of dollars, far above the initial investment of installing a scrubber.
Below, we reprint excerpts of the interview. You can read the full article here.
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Ship owners should have no need to worry about the financial viability of using scrubber technology as their compliance solution for the upcoming 0.50 percent global sulfur cap on marine fuel in 2020, industry Veteran Rudy Kassinger has told Ship & Bunker.
The comments come in response to reports from earlier this week, noting some ship owners have questioned whether the differential between HFO and more expensive compliant distillate fuel was high enough to warrant investment in the technology that will enable them to continue burning the same residual product they buy today.
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“For a ship consuming 1,000 mt per month, or 12,000 mt per year, that would see a $3.17 million per year fuel cost saving. But I also think every one of those assumptions is very conservative. I think Brent will be higher, HFO will be even lower, and MGO will have an even bigger premium vs HFO.
“So I think the savings will actually be closer to $5 million per year.”
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In comparison, Ship & Bunker understands that the cost of a scrubber system for such a vessel, including installation costs, would be around $3 million, meaning the shipowner would see a return on their investment within the year.
“While the economics are a slam dunk for scrubbers, I agree there are still unresolved issues regarding scrubber waste disposal, which aren’t trivial, as well as a few other concerns such as scrubber maintenance costs and reliability,” he adds.
