Port of Amsterdam to ban use of open-loop scrubber from 1 January

From 1 January 2025, there will be a restriction on the use of open-loop scrubbers for seagoing vessels in the port of Amsterdam, according to the port authority on Thursday (19 December). 

The port authority said the open-loop scrubbers discharge polluted washing water into its port waters and the ban will contribute to a cleaner marine environment.

“In order to combat water and soil pollution in the Port of Amsterdam, a restriction on the use of open-loop scrubbers will apply from 1 January 2025. The ban applies on ships that are berthed. There, the discharge of the washing water is most locally concentrated,” it said on its website. 

In the case of a hybrid scrubber system, seagoing vessels must switch to closed-loop, or switch to another cleaner fuel that meets the sulphur environmental standards, such as Marine Gas Oil.

In 2023, approximately 100 seagoing vessels with an open-loop scrubber called at the Port of Amsterdam. In addition to Amsterdam, the ban already is in place in the ports of Antwerp, Hamburg, French and several Scandinavian ports. 

Milembe Mateyo, Harbor Master at Port of Amsterdam, said: “With this decision, we are combating the pollution of the marine environment. It is another step closer to a cleaner port and an acceleration in the sustainability of shipping.”

Note: The full copy of decree on the restriction of the use of exhaust gas cleaning systems (scrubbers) in Amsterdam can be viewed here.

Photo credit: MarineTraffic / Frank22
Published: 23 December, 2024