Port of Karachi bans open-loop scrubbers

The Port of Karachi in Pakistan has become the latest authority to ban discharging washwater from open-loop scrubbers.

According to a circular issued by Pakistan’s Ministry of Maritime Affairs, vessels fitted with a hybrid type of scrubbers should switch to the closed-loop mode of operations while in port, and vessels fitted with open-loop scrubbers are ordered to switch over to compliant fuel instead.

The circular advises ships to carry out the switch-over well in advance of the ship’s arrival in port waters, so that any operational issues can be identified and dealt with before the ship enters Pakistani waters.

The Port of Karachi’s ban shortly comes after Suez Canal Authority announced a ban on discharging wash water from open-loop scrubbers during transit in the waterway.