EGCS washwater has ‘limited impact’ on water quality, says CE Delft
- Published
by Admin
Independent research and consultancy organisation CE Delft on Wednesday (18 December) released the results of a study ‘The impacts of EGCS washwater discharges on port water and sediment’.
“Ships that use Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems (EGCSs) to comply with the IMO sulphur regulations have a small impact on the water quality in ports, when compared to future EU standards for priority substances in water,” it said.
“This is the main conclusion of a new study carried out by CE Delft, with support from Deltares.”
Concerns have been raised about the environmental impact of washwater discharges, especially in port areas.
The study is unique as it uses empirical data from almost 300 EGCS washwater samples, the most extensive dataset of this kind analysed in this manner, and because it employs the MAMPEC-BW model to calculate equilibrium concentrations in ports, according to CE Delft.
MAMPEC-BW is a model that is widely used in a regulatory context, e.g. for the approval of ballast water management systems and antifouling agents.
The study was commissioned by the Cruise Lines International Association Europe (CLIA Europe) and a number of industry partners with the aim of furthering publically available knowledge on the impact of washwater discharges from open-loop EGCSs on port water and sediment.
In support of this objective the report has been submitted to the GESAMP EGCS Task Team for consideration in relation to their advisory submission to the IMO on the impacts of EGCS washwater, and as an IMO Information (INF) Paper for presentation at IMO PPR 7 in February 2020 by CE Delft.
The full CE Delft study ‘The impacts of EGCS washwater discharges on port water and sediment’ can be downloaded here.
Related: CE Delft research shows ‘promising’ results for scrubber washwater
Photo credit: CE Delft / The impacts of EGCS washwater discharges on port water and sediment
Published: 19 December, 2019
