There are, however, serious concern

There are, however, serious concerns over the longevity of scrubbers as a compliance option. Open-loop scrubbers, which take in naturally alkaline water and then flush discharge into the sea, have already been banned in key bunkering hubs like Singapore and Fujairah as well as Belgium, California, Massachusetts and along the River Rhine in Germany. Closed loop scrubbers have their own challenges, like the lack of onshore facilities for discharging sludge, and the availability of caustic soda, which is used in closed loop systems to raise the alkalinity of the water being used. Also, there is a wide range of technical issues associated with the use of scrubbers, including stability of the vessel, potential breakdowns and corrosion of discharge pipes, for instance. Such things make the idea of paying a premium for a scrubber-equipped vessel less appealing as time goes by.