In a letter to the OSPAR Commission (Marine Protection Convention of the North-East Atlantic), the environmental organisation NABU calls for a ban on the discharge of wastewater from scrubbers in the 12-mile zone along the coast.
Fourteen environmental organisations have signed the letter. The practice is “devastating” for nature. When sulphur in the exhaust gas stream from scrubbers is washed out with the help of water, the sulphur- and pollutant-laden water is discharged into the sea. The heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and other toxic substances it contains cause long-term damage to the marine environment.
“This practice, which is devastating for the marine environment, must be stopped immediately. The OSPAR Commission has a central role as a pioneer for the protection of the marine environment in the North-East Atlantic,” says NABU shipping expert Raija Koch. “It must use this pioneering role and focus on precautionary principles and the protection of marine ecosystems.”
NABU: “Wait and see must not be an excuse”
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) recently encouraged countries to take regional measures to protect the marine environment. “Waiting for a global consensus on the scrubber ban must not be used as an excuse for inaction,” continued Koch. Germany should lobby OSPAR for the ban on discharges and combine this with an overall effective marine protection policy.
“Discharges of wash water, habitat destruction, overfishing and nutrient pollution are preventing the achievement of good environmental status in accordance with the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive,” said NABU Head of Marine Conservation Kim Detloff.
“It is time to make shipping more responsible for protecting nature and the climate. This needs to be translated into a credible marine protection policy for the future German government, together with smart spatial planning, use-free marine protected areas and the restoration of salt marshes, seagrass beds and reefs.”
