It has already been decided in Denmark. In future, Sweden will also ban the discharge of scrubber wastewater within the 12-sm zone.
In June 2024, the Swedish government applied to ban the discharge of wastewater from open-loop scrubbers from 1 July 2025. From 1 January 2029, this will apply to all scrubber types, including wash water from closed loops. Prior to the proposal, some Swedish ports had already issued a ban.
Although the European Union (EU) does not yet have any generally applicable legislation banning the discharge of scrubber wastewater, a clear trend is emerging worldwide: several countries and ports have already implemented such regulations independently of one another.
UBA also recommends a ban on scrubber discharge
Last year, the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) commissioned the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) to investigate the effects of wastewater discharges from the exhaust gas cleaning systems of seagoing vessels (scrubbers) on the marine environment. The result: pollutants such as heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are classified as extremely alarming.
